Hi everybody. Well, I wasn’t kidding when I said that my 2nd post this week was going to be later than normal. My relatives from down south came up Thursday afternoon, and I’ve been spending as much time with them as I could. Also, Tiny Tiny’s Assault on Dragon Keep has been loads of fun to play! Luckily, I managed to get some time to post something up, so here’s a review for another Cyberpunk classic, Black Magic M-66.
Story/Setup
An undercover reporter, Sybel, catches wind of a military operation out in the countryside. Along with her cameraman Leakey (Yeah, I know his name’s lame), they head out to the site of the military’s site. They find out that a aircraft crashed somewhere in the woods, and it contained two special military-grade androids known as the M-66s (Hence the name of this movie), and the military is doing everything it can to find them. Sure enough, the military does, but not without getting their asses kicked by said androids, and one of said androids performing a self-destruct program. After that, the other M-66 escapes, along with Sybel. With that situation seems contained for the moment, an even worse situation is on the rise.
It turns out that the M-66s were installed with a mission mimicking program, but in the process the program somehow gets corrupted, and the surviving android proceeds to go after the inventor of the M-66s granddaughter, Ferris. Deciding that this girl’s life is more important than her story, Sybel drops what’s she’s doing, and decides to find & protect this girl. This leads her through the woods, to the inventor of the M-66's house, and concludes with a fight/chase-sequence through a cyberpunk city.
This isn’t the deepest of stories I’ve seen so far, but it doesn’t really need to be. Black Magic M-66 is like the Commando of anime OVAs: basic story, standard characters, and lots of action. I can get behind this.
Setting
As with typical Cyberpunk movies, Black Magic M-66's city looks dystopic, and feels somewhat oppressive is some ways. Unlike typical Cyberpunk movies, you don’t see the city at first. Instead, Black Magic M-66 starts out in the countryside, which is somewhat untouched by man. The only signs of human civilization that is apparent is part of a roadway (Along with some road lights), and the house of Professor Matthews. You see the city about halfway through the movie, right when the shit gets real. Props to you movie!
Characters
If there’s a weakness to Black Magic M-66, it would be it’s characters. They’re all the standard tropes: Sybel is the gun-ho kind of girl that doesn’t put up with any bullshit, and will do whatever it takes to get a story, but develops a sense of humanity when a life is legitimately on the line. Her partner/cameraman Leakey is your standard smarmy, slimy bastard. The Major is your typical military guy, doing everything in his power to clean things up, and has a slight “not give a shit” attitude towards the average joe. The Major’s soldiers are the typical grunts, in that they follow his orders without question & most of which are going to die sooner or later. Professor Matthews acts as typical mad scientist, but is far more stable, and appears to love his granddaughter more so than other science-type characters. There’s his assistant Slade, who acts as (To a degree) the cool headed individual, and finally we have Ferris, who’s Professor Matthews’s bubbly granddaughter. She’s innocent, oblivious to the troubles of the world (Right until the killer robot shows up), and has some brains to her.
Despite the cookie-cutter nature of the characters, a couple of them I managed to like. In particular I liked Sybel & Ferris, as you manage to feel some legitimate concern once the M-66 begins to hunt them down. Ferris’s grandfather you’ll eventually manage to like, especially when he starts to calm down. As for everybody else, they’re either a take it character or leave it character.
Animation
Black Magic M-66 has some good animation behind it. If there was any flaw to it, I would say that there are certain scenes where the background looks a little lackluster, and looking at some of the minor characters moving around from a distance looks a little rough around the edges, but the characters look great (Have defining physical characteristics, look different from one another, etc), and the cyberpunk style city is always a hit for me.
Voice Acting
Black Magic M-66's voice acting has aged relatively well. Some of the minor roles have weaker voices, but everybody else sounds like they wanted to work the role they were given. In particular, Sybel & Ferris seem to be the strongest in terms of voice acting among primary characters, as well as Ferris’s grandfather, Professor Matthew (Although he sounds like the sterotypical nerdy scientist a majority of the time, and it can get slightly irritating). The Major, despite being a primary character, sounds like a standard military character: no-nonsense, serious, and gruff. His voice acting also matches his character (And to an extent, the soldiers under his command), and depending on your take, can be a good or bad thing.
Episodes & Episode Length
Like a majority of the stuff I’ve reviewed so far, Black Magic M-66 is a stand alone movie. Playing for 47 minutes, this OVA is a little shorter when compared to the other movies that I posted up here over the past couple weeks. Having said that, it’s still great to watch during an afternoon as part of a anime marathon, or something like that.
Availability & Pricing
Good luck finding this!
Black Magic M-66 is a pretty hard film to find. I’ve only seen a couple copies over on Amazon: As I’m writing this, there’s only 5 new copies available, and 10 used copies available. The new copies start out at a whopping 60 dollars in price (Which is normally the price for a full-blown show), whereas the used copies start at a less strenuous 30 dollars. My advice: go right to the used copies, and only buy a new one if you’re a serious collector.
Now, there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel with regards to availability. On July 9th of this year, a re-release of Black Magic M-66 will be made available to the public once again. My only complaint is that this release might not have a dub, which will be a pain to try & read during this action packed movie!
Extras/Other
Since I downloaded this, I don’t know what the extras are.
General Impression & Rating
I’m glad I watched this movie. Black Magic M-66, despite being a one-time movie, is actually pretty damn fun! There’s plenty of action, sci-fi/cyberpunk, suspense, violence, and a surprising touch of humor in it all. With a reprint coming in July, perhaps this classic OVA will once again be watched by anime fans both old & new alike, and it has some time back in the spotlight once again.
Black Magic M-66 gets a 8 out of 10.
See you all next week. Until then, stay Otaku!
*
Here’s a link to the OVA. Enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJcEN1QkbyA
Also, here's an awesome song that should have been part of the soundtrack to this movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rmKoclkoqw
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Bio-Hunter Review
Hello everyone! With the Barefoot Gen movies reviewed last week, it’s time to move onto more grittier films. Today’s review is a dark & bloody film from back in the day, and one that represents the serious side of anime. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy this review for Bio-Hunter.
Story/Setup
Taken from the Anime News Network’s webpage:
“Two scientists are attempting to distribute the cure for a demon virus that is affecting people all over Japan, however, things have become complicated. One of them has become infected. So begins his battle with himself, as he attempts to not only control his emerging demon side, but also to save the lives of others by wielding its great strength.”
That’s pretty much the jest of the story. Two scientists trying to stop a horrific virus, only to have one of them get infected in the process. There’s other points in this story, but they’re either not explained enough, or not explained at all. This coincides with the rumors that this was intended to be a series (How long of a series, I’m not quite sure), as the ending is left kinda up in the air about some things.
Setting
There’s nothing really out of the ordinary in Bio-Hunter’s setting. It’s just the standard urban/laboratory landscape, with nothing really standing out. The only place that’s a little interesting in the countryside the main characters go to, and even then it’s standard stuff. Considering that you have people turn into demons/monsters you’d expect something more...supernatural.
Characters
Characters in this movie are conflicting for me. On the one hand, they’re all unique. They have their own personalities, motives, and thoughts. On the other hand, Bio-Hunter doesn’t really delve into the characters much. You see some things floating on the surface, but you don’t get to understand & experience the characters. This continues to fuel the rumors of Bio-Hunter being developed as a full-fledged series.
Animation
Bio-Hunter has some rather slick animation for a 90s movie. Whereas a lot of anime films from this time tended to be rather rough, this movie has characters & monsters that move rather fluidly. Having said that, this film is rather dark in terms of lighting. Not quite as bad as Angel Cop was, but there’s plenty of scenes where it shouldn’t have been as dark as it was. Apart from that one nitpick, this movie looks nice.
Voice Acting
Voice acting is alright in Bio-Hunter. Nobody’s over the top, but neither is anybody lacking in voice work. In short, the voice acting in this movie is average. It’s not an unbearable listening experience, but at the same time you wished it was a little stronger. I should quickly mention that one of the scientists is voices by the same actor that voiced Tenchi in the Tenchi franchise. Small world, isn’t it?
Episodes & Episode Length
Bio-Hunter is a feature length OVA. Running at almost an hour in length (57 minutes to be exact), this is the kind of movie you watch on a dark night, when the lights are off, and the air is abuzz with fear. Yeah that might sound like I’m pulling something out of my ass, but I’m not wrong either.
Availability & Pricing
Bio-Hunter can be a tricky movie to find. Although I downloaded my copy, I was able to find some copies over on Amazon. As I was writing this, there are currently 6 new copies, and 12 used copies. New copies are rather expensive, as they start at close to 60 dollars. The used copies are much less expensive, starting at 13 dollars. Go for the used copies: there might be a risk that it won’t work properly, but at the same time you aren’t spending as much money.
Extras/Other
Since I downloaded this, I don’t know what the extras are.
I should point out that this movie was from the director that did Wicked City and Ninja Scroll, two classic anime films from the 90s that paved the way for modern anime to flourish (In fact, Wicked City will eventually get reviewed in the coming months). It’s very evident that Bio-Hunter is related to these two movies by the animation style, as they all have a similar look & feel.
General Impression & Rating
I wanted to like Bio-Hunter. I really did. With an interesting premise, I was drawn right into the movie. Unfortunately, just about everything else in the film was lacking (Apart from the animation). If this was supposed to be the start of a series, then it was a bad one.
Bio-Hunter gets a 5 to 6 out of 10.
See you all later this week, when we’ll be looking at a rare Cyberpunk movie. Until then, stay Otaku!
*
I have some family coming up this Thursday, and they’ll be staying until Sunday. On top of that, I just recently downloaded the 4th DLC for Borderlands 2, so that’ll occupy some of my time. Because of that, my 2nd review this week might be late. Apologies!
Story/Setup
Taken from the Anime News Network’s webpage:
“Two scientists are attempting to distribute the cure for a demon virus that is affecting people all over Japan, however, things have become complicated. One of them has become infected. So begins his battle with himself, as he attempts to not only control his emerging demon side, but also to save the lives of others by wielding its great strength.”
That’s pretty much the jest of the story. Two scientists trying to stop a horrific virus, only to have one of them get infected in the process. There’s other points in this story, but they’re either not explained enough, or not explained at all. This coincides with the rumors that this was intended to be a series (How long of a series, I’m not quite sure), as the ending is left kinda up in the air about some things.
Setting
There’s nothing really out of the ordinary in Bio-Hunter’s setting. It’s just the standard urban/laboratory landscape, with nothing really standing out. The only place that’s a little interesting in the countryside the main characters go to, and even then it’s standard stuff. Considering that you have people turn into demons/monsters you’d expect something more...supernatural.
Characters
Characters in this movie are conflicting for me. On the one hand, they’re all unique. They have their own personalities, motives, and thoughts. On the other hand, Bio-Hunter doesn’t really delve into the characters much. You see some things floating on the surface, but you don’t get to understand & experience the characters. This continues to fuel the rumors of Bio-Hunter being developed as a full-fledged series.
Animation
Bio-Hunter has some rather slick animation for a 90s movie. Whereas a lot of anime films from this time tended to be rather rough, this movie has characters & monsters that move rather fluidly. Having said that, this film is rather dark in terms of lighting. Not quite as bad as Angel Cop was, but there’s plenty of scenes where it shouldn’t have been as dark as it was. Apart from that one nitpick, this movie looks nice.
Voice Acting
Voice acting is alright in Bio-Hunter. Nobody’s over the top, but neither is anybody lacking in voice work. In short, the voice acting in this movie is average. It’s not an unbearable listening experience, but at the same time you wished it was a little stronger. I should quickly mention that one of the scientists is voices by the same actor that voiced Tenchi in the Tenchi franchise. Small world, isn’t it?
Episodes & Episode Length
Bio-Hunter is a feature length OVA. Running at almost an hour in length (57 minutes to be exact), this is the kind of movie you watch on a dark night, when the lights are off, and the air is abuzz with fear. Yeah that might sound like I’m pulling something out of my ass, but I’m not wrong either.
Availability & Pricing
Bio-Hunter can be a tricky movie to find. Although I downloaded my copy, I was able to find some copies over on Amazon. As I was writing this, there are currently 6 new copies, and 12 used copies. New copies are rather expensive, as they start at close to 60 dollars. The used copies are much less expensive, starting at 13 dollars. Go for the used copies: there might be a risk that it won’t work properly, but at the same time you aren’t spending as much money.
Extras/Other
Since I downloaded this, I don’t know what the extras are.
I should point out that this movie was from the director that did Wicked City and Ninja Scroll, two classic anime films from the 90s that paved the way for modern anime to flourish (In fact, Wicked City will eventually get reviewed in the coming months). It’s very evident that Bio-Hunter is related to these two movies by the animation style, as they all have a similar look & feel.
General Impression & Rating
I wanted to like Bio-Hunter. I really did. With an interesting premise, I was drawn right into the movie. Unfortunately, just about everything else in the film was lacking (Apart from the animation). If this was supposed to be the start of a series, then it was a bad one.
Bio-Hunter gets a 5 to 6 out of 10.
See you all later this week, when we’ll be looking at a rare Cyberpunk movie. Until then, stay Otaku!
*
I have some family coming up this Thursday, and they’ll be staying until Sunday. On top of that, I just recently downloaded the 4th DLC for Borderlands 2, so that’ll occupy some of my time. Because of that, my 2nd review this week might be late. Apologies!
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Barefoot Gen 2 Review
Hello everyone! This past Tuesday, I’ve reviewed Barefoot Gen, a classic film in anime. Today’s review looks at a companion piece, so let’s not waste anymore time and review Barefoot Gen 2.
Story/Setup
Taken from the Wikipedia Page:
“Barefoot Gen 2 takes place in 1948, approximately three years after the end of the original movie, as Gen, his mother, and his adopted brother Ryuta try to survive as Hiroshima, like the rest of Japan, struggles to rebuild following the catastrophic devastation of the Second World War.
While the first movie focused on the immediate effect of the Atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the second film focuses on the long-term problems that faced the survivors, including the devastated economy and infrastructure, food shortages, unemployment, lack of housing, and the lingering effects of the atomic bomb's radioactive fallout.
Three years after the war, most of Hiroshima is still in ruins. Gen and Ryuta's school is housed a building half-wrecked by bomb damage, where a teacher is seen explaining the principles of Japan's new constitution. Still under American military occupation (which Gen clearly resents), Japan's economy is beginning to recover, but many of its people still cannot afford even basic necessities of life. Gen and his family struggle to survive, and while his mother gets a job at a brick-building factory, it is barely enough to support their basic needs. There are also several gangs of orphaned children squatting in the ruins instead of going to school. At first, contact with them is adversarial, but Gen soon realizes that they have nowhere else to go and are as desperate as he is, striking up a friendship with them. During a lighter moment in the film, Gen and the children stumble upon an old military firing range where ammunition was dumped at the end of the war. The gang leader realizes they can sell the old bullets for scrap metal, and the entire group starts filling wheelbarrows with spent shell casings, singing as they work.
The other major plotline in the movie follows the long-term effects of the use of the atomic bomb: even years later, many people are suffering lingering medical effects from the radiation. One of the orphans is a girl who had half of her face badly burned in the bombing, and is ostracized by the rest of the group for her condition, though Gen accepts her. Gen's own mother is gradually dying of cancer throughout the movie, due to exposure to radiation the atomic blast (compounded by years of malnutrition). They both know that she is dying, though Gen struggles to comprehend how he will survive without her.”
Like the last movie, this story is filled tragedy, comedy, hope, and despair. Also like the last movie, the story is good as well.
Setting
As with the last movie, Barefoot Gen 2 takes place in the bombed-out ruins of Hiroshima. Unlike the first movie, Hiroshima seems to be faring a little better. It’s still in shambles, as there are ruined buildings still standing, but a sense of life is coming back into the city. The people are more active & hopeful, but they’re still struggling to recover from the damage caused by the atomic bomb & it’s after-effects, and dead bodies can still be found from time to time.
Characters
Characters are going to be tricky to discern this time around. It not because of a lack of emotions, because everybody has some, and it’s not because of personality, cause everyone has one. It’s because this movie is in Japanese, and didn’t have a subtitle track (More on this in a bit). With that said, let’s look at some of the characters (My apologies if things look like I pulled stuff from out of my ass or got something screwed up).
Let’s start off with the main male, Gen. Gen’s grown a little bit since the events of the first movie: he’s still childish from time to time, but he’s a little more mature, still loyal to his friends & family, and he’s actually a little bitter toward’s America’s involvement. These factors make him more complex as a character (Maybe even more so when compared to the first movie), and thus you feel more attached to him.
Ryuta is much the same, in that’s he’s changed as well. He doesn’t quite seem so childish this time around due to his time with the Yakuza. He still doesn’t have much hair, but that just adds to his gruffer personality. At times he has a knife with him, adding a hint of menace to him. Despite that, he’s still a young boy, and thus is still prove to things that a young boy would do.
We still have Gen’s mom along for the ride. She’s the only original character that’s changed the least: she’s still Gen & Ryuta’s guiding light in the world, but due to her malnutrition & cancer that she suffers from over the course of the movie, she’s become physically weaker, and thus relies more on Gen & his friends.
There’s also a group of kids that Gen & Ryuta meet towards the middle of the movie. If there was a dub (Or at the very least, some subtitles.), I’d be able to tell you who they were & how they think/act, but I can’t.
Animation
The animation quality of Barefoot Gen 2 is definitely a step up from the original film. It doesn’t look as cartooney as the original movie did, as it attempts to be a little more realistic. The people look more realistic, the settings (Both the background & foreground) look more vibrant (As vibrant as a bombed-out city can get, anyways) than before, and overall everything looks like there was more work put into the film.
Voice Acting
My downloaded copy was in Japanese....and didn’t have subtitles! If this movie was dubbed, please send me a link!
Episodes & Episode Length
Like the first movie, Barefoot Gen 2 is a feature-length film. Coming in at 85 minutes, this movie is perfect to watch in the afternoon. Be sure to have some tissues to wipe away the tears you’ll eventually create, and have a friend’s shoulder nearby so you can cry on it.
Availability & Pricing
Barefoot Gen 2 is even harder to find than the original movie! As far as I know, the only way to find this movie is with the Barefoot Gen 1 & 2 collection that was released by Geneon a few years back. Like I said in my Barefoot Gen review, there’s 10 new & used copies of this collection, starting at 29 dollars in pricing. If you want to watch the second movie, find this collection, or find a file online to download.
Extras/Other
Since I downloaded this, I don’t know what the extras are.
General Impression & Rating
Barefoot Gen 2 is a little better than the original film. You’ve still got a great story like the original film, but there’s better animation (That ties into the improved setting), a slightly lengthened run time, and the characters are more fleshed out than they were in the original movie. My only serious complaint is that it’s almost impossible to find, being found only on a DVD collection that’s been out of print for a while. Despite that bump in the road, this movie should be watched, as it carries a legacy as big as Barefoot Gen!
Barefoot Gen 2 gets a 8.2 out of 10.
See you all next week, when we’ll be looking at more sci-fi/cyberpunk movies. Until then, stay Otaku!
Story/Setup
Taken from the Wikipedia Page:
“Barefoot Gen 2 takes place in 1948, approximately three years after the end of the original movie, as Gen, his mother, and his adopted brother Ryuta try to survive as Hiroshima, like the rest of Japan, struggles to rebuild following the catastrophic devastation of the Second World War.
While the first movie focused on the immediate effect of the Atomic bombing of Hiroshima, the second film focuses on the long-term problems that faced the survivors, including the devastated economy and infrastructure, food shortages, unemployment, lack of housing, and the lingering effects of the atomic bomb's radioactive fallout.
Three years after the war, most of Hiroshima is still in ruins. Gen and Ryuta's school is housed a building half-wrecked by bomb damage, where a teacher is seen explaining the principles of Japan's new constitution. Still under American military occupation (which Gen clearly resents), Japan's economy is beginning to recover, but many of its people still cannot afford even basic necessities of life. Gen and his family struggle to survive, and while his mother gets a job at a brick-building factory, it is barely enough to support their basic needs. There are also several gangs of orphaned children squatting in the ruins instead of going to school. At first, contact with them is adversarial, but Gen soon realizes that they have nowhere else to go and are as desperate as he is, striking up a friendship with them. During a lighter moment in the film, Gen and the children stumble upon an old military firing range where ammunition was dumped at the end of the war. The gang leader realizes they can sell the old bullets for scrap metal, and the entire group starts filling wheelbarrows with spent shell casings, singing as they work.
The other major plotline in the movie follows the long-term effects of the use of the atomic bomb: even years later, many people are suffering lingering medical effects from the radiation. One of the orphans is a girl who had half of her face badly burned in the bombing, and is ostracized by the rest of the group for her condition, though Gen accepts her. Gen's own mother is gradually dying of cancer throughout the movie, due to exposure to radiation the atomic blast (compounded by years of malnutrition). They both know that she is dying, though Gen struggles to comprehend how he will survive without her.”
Like the last movie, this story is filled tragedy, comedy, hope, and despair. Also like the last movie, the story is good as well.
Setting
As with the last movie, Barefoot Gen 2 takes place in the bombed-out ruins of Hiroshima. Unlike the first movie, Hiroshima seems to be faring a little better. It’s still in shambles, as there are ruined buildings still standing, but a sense of life is coming back into the city. The people are more active & hopeful, but they’re still struggling to recover from the damage caused by the atomic bomb & it’s after-effects, and dead bodies can still be found from time to time.
Characters
Characters are going to be tricky to discern this time around. It not because of a lack of emotions, because everybody has some, and it’s not because of personality, cause everyone has one. It’s because this movie is in Japanese, and didn’t have a subtitle track (More on this in a bit). With that said, let’s look at some of the characters (My apologies if things look like I pulled stuff from out of my ass or got something screwed up).
Let’s start off with the main male, Gen. Gen’s grown a little bit since the events of the first movie: he’s still childish from time to time, but he’s a little more mature, still loyal to his friends & family, and he’s actually a little bitter toward’s America’s involvement. These factors make him more complex as a character (Maybe even more so when compared to the first movie), and thus you feel more attached to him.
Ryuta is much the same, in that’s he’s changed as well. He doesn’t quite seem so childish this time around due to his time with the Yakuza. He still doesn’t have much hair, but that just adds to his gruffer personality. At times he has a knife with him, adding a hint of menace to him. Despite that, he’s still a young boy, and thus is still prove to things that a young boy would do.
We still have Gen’s mom along for the ride. She’s the only original character that’s changed the least: she’s still Gen & Ryuta’s guiding light in the world, but due to her malnutrition & cancer that she suffers from over the course of the movie, she’s become physically weaker, and thus relies more on Gen & his friends.
There’s also a group of kids that Gen & Ryuta meet towards the middle of the movie. If there was a dub (Or at the very least, some subtitles.), I’d be able to tell you who they were & how they think/act, but I can’t.
Animation
The animation quality of Barefoot Gen 2 is definitely a step up from the original film. It doesn’t look as cartooney as the original movie did, as it attempts to be a little more realistic. The people look more realistic, the settings (Both the background & foreground) look more vibrant (As vibrant as a bombed-out city can get, anyways) than before, and overall everything looks like there was more work put into the film.
Voice Acting
My downloaded copy was in Japanese....and didn’t have subtitles! If this movie was dubbed, please send me a link!
Episodes & Episode Length
Like the first movie, Barefoot Gen 2 is a feature-length film. Coming in at 85 minutes, this movie is perfect to watch in the afternoon. Be sure to have some tissues to wipe away the tears you’ll eventually create, and have a friend’s shoulder nearby so you can cry on it.
Availability & Pricing
Barefoot Gen 2 is even harder to find than the original movie! As far as I know, the only way to find this movie is with the Barefoot Gen 1 & 2 collection that was released by Geneon a few years back. Like I said in my Barefoot Gen review, there’s 10 new & used copies of this collection, starting at 29 dollars in pricing. If you want to watch the second movie, find this collection, or find a file online to download.
Extras/Other
Since I downloaded this, I don’t know what the extras are.
General Impression & Rating
Barefoot Gen 2 is a little better than the original film. You’ve still got a great story like the original film, but there’s better animation (That ties into the improved setting), a slightly lengthened run time, and the characters are more fleshed out than they were in the original movie. My only serious complaint is that it’s almost impossible to find, being found only on a DVD collection that’s been out of print for a while. Despite that bump in the road, this movie should be watched, as it carries a legacy as big as Barefoot Gen!
Barefoot Gen 2 gets a 8.2 out of 10.
See you all next week, when we’ll be looking at more sci-fi/cyberpunk movies. Until then, stay Otaku!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Barefoot Gen Review
Hello everyone! This week’s duo of reviews are two iconic films, filled with drama, emotion, action, and some much needed doses of comedy. These two movies are some of the most serious films I’ve ever watched, and my eyes were about ready to unleash a torrent of tears. Let’s not waste anymore time, and dive into a review of Barefoot Gen.
Story/Setup
Taken from the Wikipedia page:
“The story begins in Hiroshima during the final months of World War II. Six-year old Gen Nakaoka and his family live in poverty and struggle to make ends meet, but Gen's father Daikichi urges them to "live like wheat", which always grows strong, despite being trod on. Daikichi is critical of the war, and when he shows up drunk to a mandatory combat drill and backtalks to his instructor, the Nakaokas are branded as traitors and subject to harassment and discrimination by their neighbors. To restore his family's honour, Gen's older bother Koji joins the Navy against Daikichi's wishes, where he is subjected to a brutal training regime by his commanding officer. On August 6, the atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima. Gen's father and siblings perish in the fires, but Gen and his mother manage to escape. The shock causes her to give premature birth; Gen's new sister is named Tomoko.
In the days following the attack, Gen and his mother witness the horrors wrought by the bomb. Hiroshima lies in ruins, and the city is full of people dead and dying from severe burns and radiation sickness. Gen meets a girl named Natsue, whose face has been severely burned; she attempts to commit suicide, but Gen convinces her to continue living. Gen and his mother adopt an orphan named Ryuta, who by sheer coincidence looks identical to Gen's deceased younger brother Shinji. After Gen returns to their burnt-out home and retrieves the remains of his father and siblings, he and his family go to live with Kime's friend Kiyo. However, Kiyo's crotchety Mother-In-Law conspires with her grandchildren to drive the Nakaokas out.
Gen looks for work to pay the family's rent. A man hires Gen to look after his brother Seiji, who has been burnt from head to toe and lives in squalor. Though Seiji is recalcitrant at first, he warms up to Gen over time, and the boy learns Seiji is an artist who has lost the will to live because his burns have left him unable to hold a brush. With Gen's help, Seiji learns to paint with his teeth, but eventually, he dies of his wounds. On August 14, Emperor Hirohito announces Japan's surrender over the radio, ending the war.
Following Japan's unconditional surrender, American occupation forces arrive to help the nation rebuild. Gen and Ryuta, fearing rumours they've heard about the Americans, arm themselves with a pistol they find in an abandoned weapons cache. They learn the Americans aren't as bad as they'd thought when they're given free candy, but they also witness a group of American soldiers harvesting organs from corpses for medical research. Kiyo's mother-in-law evicts the Nakaokas after Gen gets into a fight with her grandchildren, and they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. Gen and Ryuta attempt to earn money to feed Tomoko, getting involved with the local Yakuza, but after the Yakuza betray them, Ryuta kills one of them with the pistol they found, and becomes a fugitive. Later, Gen learns that Tomoko has been kidnapped. He manages to find her with the help of a classmate, only to learn that she's become ill. Tomoko dies soon after.
In December 1946, Gen is reuinted with Ryuta, who has become a juvenile delinquent, doing odd jobs for the Yakuza. He also meets Katsuko, a girl scarred by burns from the bomb. As an orphan and a hibakusha, she is subject to discrimination and cannot go to school, but Gen loans her his books and teaches her himself.”
This is a very deep story, filled with both good emotions & bad. It’s also a very epic story that is sure to play with your beliefs of humanity, and makes you question as to why we would go this far to stop war.
Setting
There’s been plenty of shows that depict Japan in the 40s and earlier, but Barefoot Gen has the balls to show the viewer Hiroshima after the atomic bomb went off, creating one of the most horrific environments ever seen by anime fans. The entire city becomes a crater of devastation: buildings are in shambles, fires are rampant, and the bodies of the people of Hiroshima can be seen strewn in various parts of the city. There’s such a heavy sense of death & despair within the ruins, your shocked that anyone, much less a 6-year old boy, could survive in this city!
This will be about as close to the devastation of the atomic bombings of Japan as any Otaku will ever get.
Characters
For the purpose of this review, I will be focusing on just three of the characters. Mainly the ones that seem to carry the most weight (In my opinion, at least). With that said, let’s begin.
For starters, there’s the character that in the movie’s title, Gen. At the beginning of the movie, he behaves like a standard 6-year old boy: sprightly, jumpy, a little bit bratty, yet can be quite nice. When trouble begins to occur for his family, his innocence begins to fade away as he tries to grow up, but he still knows how to act like a kid. When the atom bomb goes off, he seems to become a bipolar child. Half the time he’s a quasi-adult: he takes responsibility for his mother, sister, and young friend, and is quite strong in terms of his emotions. The other half of the time he reverts back to his child self. Despite being so you, Gen has some complexity to him, making him a rather interesting character to cheer for.
Gen’s mother, on the other hand, is a little more basic. She’s basically Gen’s guiding light after the bomb goes off, and provides him and Ryuta moral support. She’s not a bad character, but I find that she’s a weaker character, if only because she doesn’t seem to bring as much oopmh to the table, despite having some conviction to her personality.
We finally come to Ryuta, who almost seems like Gen’s opposite. He’s much more spunky, willing to take risks, and at the end, a tad punky. Despite those differences, he’s just a youthful as Gen, and will help out other if needed.
Animation
The best word to describe Barefoot Gen’s animation is.....basic. It’s not ugly by any stretch, as the people look alright, and the setting looks simplistic but realistic. What I’m trying to say is that the movie has just enough looks to not look hideous, but would probably have felt far, far, far more visceral if it had some higher animation quality.
Voice Acting
The voice acting in this movie is adequate. It’s not that no one’s trying, because everybody is. My main problem is that while everyone seems to be putting in their time, some characters sound underwhelming despite the work put into them. Gen is a big example: I am convinced (For the most part, at least) that the voice actor in question makes a convincing 6-year old boy. At the same time, he sound underwhelming. Even when he goes through some important changes in his life, he doesn’t sound like he’s growing as a person. He still continues to sounds like a 6-year old boy, despite growing up metaphorically.
Episodes & Episode Length
Barefoot Gen is a feature-length film. At 83 minutes in length, this movie is perfect to watch in the afternoon. Be sure to have some tissues to wipe away the tears you’ll eventually create, and have a friend’s shoulder nearby so you can cry on it.
Availability & Pricing
Barefoot Gen is a difficult movie to find. Although I downloaded it, I was able to find a couple copies over on Amazon in two forms: the original film by itself, and a release by the now defunct Geneon company that contained both movies (I’ll talk about this in the next review). The original release is expensive as hell, starting in at 87 dollars new (At the time of this writing, there are only 5 new copies available), and 43 dollars used (At the time of this writing, there are only 4 used copies available). The Geneon copies are fairly cheaper: both new & used copies start at 29 dollars (There are 10 copies of both editions as I write this). I highly suggest you go for the Geneon copy, and only go for the original if you’re a die-hard collector.
Extras/Other
Since I downloaded this, I don’t know what the extras are.
General Impression & Rating
Barefoot Gen is a movie that everybody should watch. Whether you’re a light-hearted Otaku looking for something serious to watch (Perhaps as an alternative to Grave of the Fireflies), or a fan of serious animated movies looking for something classic, I highly recommend this. My only serious gripe is that it’s incredibly difficult to find, making Barefoot Gen a hard-to-find classic as well as a incredible classic. Find this movie people!!
Barefoot Gen gets a 8 out of 10.
See you all later this week, when we’ll look at the followup to Barefoot Gen. Until then, stay Otaku!
Story/Setup
Taken from the Wikipedia page:
“The story begins in Hiroshima during the final months of World War II. Six-year old Gen Nakaoka and his family live in poverty and struggle to make ends meet, but Gen's father Daikichi urges them to "live like wheat", which always grows strong, despite being trod on. Daikichi is critical of the war, and when he shows up drunk to a mandatory combat drill and backtalks to his instructor, the Nakaokas are branded as traitors and subject to harassment and discrimination by their neighbors. To restore his family's honour, Gen's older bother Koji joins the Navy against Daikichi's wishes, where he is subjected to a brutal training regime by his commanding officer. On August 6, the atomic bomb is dropped on Hiroshima. Gen's father and siblings perish in the fires, but Gen and his mother manage to escape. The shock causes her to give premature birth; Gen's new sister is named Tomoko.
In the days following the attack, Gen and his mother witness the horrors wrought by the bomb. Hiroshima lies in ruins, and the city is full of people dead and dying from severe burns and radiation sickness. Gen meets a girl named Natsue, whose face has been severely burned; she attempts to commit suicide, but Gen convinces her to continue living. Gen and his mother adopt an orphan named Ryuta, who by sheer coincidence looks identical to Gen's deceased younger brother Shinji. After Gen returns to their burnt-out home and retrieves the remains of his father and siblings, he and his family go to live with Kime's friend Kiyo. However, Kiyo's crotchety Mother-In-Law conspires with her grandchildren to drive the Nakaokas out.
Gen looks for work to pay the family's rent. A man hires Gen to look after his brother Seiji, who has been burnt from head to toe and lives in squalor. Though Seiji is recalcitrant at first, he warms up to Gen over time, and the boy learns Seiji is an artist who has lost the will to live because his burns have left him unable to hold a brush. With Gen's help, Seiji learns to paint with his teeth, but eventually, he dies of his wounds. On August 14, Emperor Hirohito announces Japan's surrender over the radio, ending the war.
Following Japan's unconditional surrender, American occupation forces arrive to help the nation rebuild. Gen and Ryuta, fearing rumours they've heard about the Americans, arm themselves with a pistol they find in an abandoned weapons cache. They learn the Americans aren't as bad as they'd thought when they're given free candy, but they also witness a group of American soldiers harvesting organs from corpses for medical research. Kiyo's mother-in-law evicts the Nakaokas after Gen gets into a fight with her grandchildren, and they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. Gen and Ryuta attempt to earn money to feed Tomoko, getting involved with the local Yakuza, but after the Yakuza betray them, Ryuta kills one of them with the pistol they found, and becomes a fugitive. Later, Gen learns that Tomoko has been kidnapped. He manages to find her with the help of a classmate, only to learn that she's become ill. Tomoko dies soon after.
In December 1946, Gen is reuinted with Ryuta, who has become a juvenile delinquent, doing odd jobs for the Yakuza. He also meets Katsuko, a girl scarred by burns from the bomb. As an orphan and a hibakusha, she is subject to discrimination and cannot go to school, but Gen loans her his books and teaches her himself.”
This is a very deep story, filled with both good emotions & bad. It’s also a very epic story that is sure to play with your beliefs of humanity, and makes you question as to why we would go this far to stop war.
Setting
There’s been plenty of shows that depict Japan in the 40s and earlier, but Barefoot Gen has the balls to show the viewer Hiroshima after the atomic bomb went off, creating one of the most horrific environments ever seen by anime fans. The entire city becomes a crater of devastation: buildings are in shambles, fires are rampant, and the bodies of the people of Hiroshima can be seen strewn in various parts of the city. There’s such a heavy sense of death & despair within the ruins, your shocked that anyone, much less a 6-year old boy, could survive in this city!
This will be about as close to the devastation of the atomic bombings of Japan as any Otaku will ever get.
Characters
For the purpose of this review, I will be focusing on just three of the characters. Mainly the ones that seem to carry the most weight (In my opinion, at least). With that said, let’s begin.
For starters, there’s the character that in the movie’s title, Gen. At the beginning of the movie, he behaves like a standard 6-year old boy: sprightly, jumpy, a little bit bratty, yet can be quite nice. When trouble begins to occur for his family, his innocence begins to fade away as he tries to grow up, but he still knows how to act like a kid. When the atom bomb goes off, he seems to become a bipolar child. Half the time he’s a quasi-adult: he takes responsibility for his mother, sister, and young friend, and is quite strong in terms of his emotions. The other half of the time he reverts back to his child self. Despite being so you, Gen has some complexity to him, making him a rather interesting character to cheer for.
Gen’s mother, on the other hand, is a little more basic. She’s basically Gen’s guiding light after the bomb goes off, and provides him and Ryuta moral support. She’s not a bad character, but I find that she’s a weaker character, if only because she doesn’t seem to bring as much oopmh to the table, despite having some conviction to her personality.
We finally come to Ryuta, who almost seems like Gen’s opposite. He’s much more spunky, willing to take risks, and at the end, a tad punky. Despite those differences, he’s just a youthful as Gen, and will help out other if needed.
Animation
The best word to describe Barefoot Gen’s animation is.....basic. It’s not ugly by any stretch, as the people look alright, and the setting looks simplistic but realistic. What I’m trying to say is that the movie has just enough looks to not look hideous, but would probably have felt far, far, far more visceral if it had some higher animation quality.
Voice Acting
The voice acting in this movie is adequate. It’s not that no one’s trying, because everybody is. My main problem is that while everyone seems to be putting in their time, some characters sound underwhelming despite the work put into them. Gen is a big example: I am convinced (For the most part, at least) that the voice actor in question makes a convincing 6-year old boy. At the same time, he sound underwhelming. Even when he goes through some important changes in his life, he doesn’t sound like he’s growing as a person. He still continues to sounds like a 6-year old boy, despite growing up metaphorically.
Episodes & Episode Length
Barefoot Gen is a feature-length film. At 83 minutes in length, this movie is perfect to watch in the afternoon. Be sure to have some tissues to wipe away the tears you’ll eventually create, and have a friend’s shoulder nearby so you can cry on it.
Availability & Pricing
Barefoot Gen is a difficult movie to find. Although I downloaded it, I was able to find a couple copies over on Amazon in two forms: the original film by itself, and a release by the now defunct Geneon company that contained both movies (I’ll talk about this in the next review). The original release is expensive as hell, starting in at 87 dollars new (At the time of this writing, there are only 5 new copies available), and 43 dollars used (At the time of this writing, there are only 4 used copies available). The Geneon copies are fairly cheaper: both new & used copies start at 29 dollars (There are 10 copies of both editions as I write this). I highly suggest you go for the Geneon copy, and only go for the original if you’re a die-hard collector.
Extras/Other
Since I downloaded this, I don’t know what the extras are.
General Impression & Rating
Barefoot Gen is a movie that everybody should watch. Whether you’re a light-hearted Otaku looking for something serious to watch (Perhaps as an alternative to Grave of the Fireflies), or a fan of serious animated movies looking for something classic, I highly recommend this. My only serious gripe is that it’s incredibly difficult to find, making Barefoot Gen a hard-to-find classic as well as a incredible classic. Find this movie people!!
Barefoot Gen gets a 8 out of 10.
See you all later this week, when we’ll look at the followup to Barefoot Gen. Until then, stay Otaku!
Friday, June 14, 2013
Songs of Grieving
Hi guys. I wasn't gonna post anything else, but recent events moved me to do so.
Late in the evening, a dear friend of my Mom & my family died due to a tragic car accident. Although I do know the details as to what happened, I'm keeping them to myself to respect the recently deceased and the deceased's family. In times of grieving, many of us (Otaku or not) turn to the sounds of music to heal our hearts. So, join me into this bonus mini-trip of my mind, and take a look at some songs that have healed me during a time of suffering. Enjoy!
1) Weird Al - The Majority of his Songs (Example: "***")
Everybody needs goofy songs to heal every once in a while!
There's plenty of comedic singers out there, but Weird Al Yankovic still sits at the top of the throne of spoof music. Cranking out side-splitting tunes since the 80s, the way that Weird Al warps an otherwise normal pop song into a comedic abomination (I mean that in a good way) is nothing short of genius. Not only that, none of his songs are malicious or mean, and in fact are funny and, dare I saw it, sweet.
In short, listen to Weird Al when you need something sunnier to heal yourself.
2)
3)
4) U.D.O. - I Give As Good As I Get It
Ironically, I just discovered these guys last night.
For starters.......why the hell did it take me this long to find these guys! As most of my friends know, I'm a fan of heavy metal. I've heard many metal bands from the past-present-future, but not finding out about U.D.O. until now is just a disgrace as a fan of metal. Secondly, this song has helped me grieve because the band in question is German, and my mother's friend was German as well.
As for why this song helped me grieve, it's kind of interesting. My mother's friend was a very kind & caring person, who often got just as much kindness given back to her from people she knew. In my opinion, this song seems to embody that ideal: you get as much good as you give out. Plain & simple.
5) Ministry - Lies Lies Lies
Taken from my "Top 10 Singers & Bands" post:
"Let’s take a personal trip through time. It’s August 27th, 2006, a day before my Fall 2006 semester at college. I wake up and come down stairs as usual, and I see my day hastily putting some clothes in a travel bag. When I ask why, I was told that my uncle (Which I saw a week prior at a family reunion) had died in a plane crash. I was in a state of shock. I couldn’t even cry because I was so shocked by what I was told. I didn’t even go through the day normal, but sometimes fate moves you in the weirdest of directions.
I think a couple weeks prior to his death, I was surfing through the TV, when I came across MTV (When they still kinda sorta played videos). On the screen was Ministry’s latest music video, Lies Lies Lies. I liked it, but I didn’t think much of it. About a week or two after, I was with my girlfriend at the time, and I managed to find a copy of the album the song came from. When my uncle died, I listened to the whole album, and somehow I was healed.....for the most part. Due to that act, Ministry will be my number 1 band for all time. "
Nuff said!
See you all next week. Until then, stay Otaku
Late in the evening, a dear friend of my Mom & my family died due to a tragic car accident. Although I do know the details as to what happened, I'm keeping them to myself to respect the recently deceased and the deceased's family. In times of grieving, many of us (Otaku or not) turn to the sounds of music to heal our hearts. So, join me into this bonus mini-trip of my mind, and take a look at some songs that have healed me during a time of suffering. Enjoy!
1) Weird Al - The Majority of his Songs (Example: "***")
Everybody needs goofy songs to heal every once in a while!
There's plenty of comedic singers out there, but Weird Al Yankovic still sits at the top of the throne of spoof music. Cranking out side-splitting tunes since the 80s, the way that Weird Al warps an otherwise normal pop song into a comedic abomination (I mean that in a good way) is nothing short of genius. Not only that, none of his songs are malicious or mean, and in fact are funny and, dare I saw it, sweet.
In short, listen to Weird Al when you need something sunnier to heal yourself.
2)
3)
4) U.D.O. - I Give As Good As I Get It
Ironically, I just discovered these guys last night.
For starters.......why the hell did it take me this long to find these guys! As most of my friends know, I'm a fan of heavy metal. I've heard many metal bands from the past-present-future, but not finding out about U.D.O. until now is just a disgrace as a fan of metal. Secondly, this song has helped me grieve because the band in question is German, and my mother's friend was German as well.
As for why this song helped me grieve, it's kind of interesting. My mother's friend was a very kind & caring person, who often got just as much kindness given back to her from people she knew. In my opinion, this song seems to embody that ideal: you get as much good as you give out. Plain & simple.
5) Ministry - Lies Lies Lies
Taken from my "Top 10 Singers & Bands" post:
"Let’s take a personal trip through time. It’s August 27th, 2006, a day before my Fall 2006 semester at college. I wake up and come down stairs as usual, and I see my day hastily putting some clothes in a travel bag. When I ask why, I was told that my uncle (Which I saw a week prior at a family reunion) had died in a plane crash. I was in a state of shock. I couldn’t even cry because I was so shocked by what I was told. I didn’t even go through the day normal, but sometimes fate moves you in the weirdest of directions.
I think a couple weeks prior to his death, I was surfing through the TV, when I came across MTV (When they still kinda sorta played videos). On the screen was Ministry’s latest music video, Lies Lies Lies. I liked it, but I didn’t think much of it. About a week or two after, I was with my girlfriend at the time, and I managed to find a copy of the album the song came from. When my uncle died, I listened to the whole album, and somehow I was healed.....for the most part. Due to that act, Ministry will be my number 1 band for all time. "
Nuff said!
See you all next week. Until then, stay Otaku
Baoh Review
Well, I’ve reviewed good & bad shows so far, so now it’s time for something boring, and I know just the movie to suit a boring mood. Without delay, here’s a review for Baoh.
Story/Setup
Taken from the Wikipedia page:
“Teenager Ikuro Hashizawa is kidnapped and turned into a Baoh, a bioweapon with super human strength and other abilities such as firing a corrosive substance, by the Judas Laboratory. He escapes with the help of Sumire, a 10-year-old psychic girl. Professor Hazyeye, head scientist at Judas, sends various assassins and monsters to try and kill Ikuro, in means of stopping the Baoh virus from spreading and infecting the world.”
To be honest with you, Baoh’s story is really it’s only saving grace, despite how basic & predictable it is. Good guys escape, bad guys send out minions, good guys beat up/kill said minions, one good guy gets captured, etc etc. It really gets predictable as you get further & further into the film, but at least the idea behind the story is original.
Setting
Baoh’s setting, for the most part, feels rather generic. It isn’t like Angel Cop, as at least this movie puts effort into how it looks, but at the same time there really wasn’t much effort. Everything looks rather typical of the late 80s timeframe, and perhaps the only effort put into any of the environments are the laboratories that the bad guys use. There’s definitely some imagination put into them, but at the same time still feels weak.
Characters
The characters in this movie are, for a lack of better terms.....boring. None of them are really likable, but they aren’t necessarily bad. The only characters that you kinda support are Ikuro/Baoh and the psychic girl Sumire, and that’s only because of their circumstances.
Animation
Baoh animation quality is.....okay at best. It’s far, far from the ugliness of Angel Cop, but it isn’t the greatest looking thing on the planet. There are some interesting visual moments, like Ikuro’s transformation into Baoh, and a vision of Sumire’s early in the movie, but the movie itself just feels plain.
Voice Acting
Voice acting in Baoh is...meh. There really isn’t any one character in the movie that’s any better or any worse than everybody else. All of the characters just have a monotone voice that really doesn’t change much from emotion to emotion. Even when it actually does change, it’s more in terms of volume rather than emotion.
Episodes & Episode Length
Like Appleseed, Baoh is a feature film. Unlike Appleseed, Baoh has a shorter run time. 47 minutes, to be exact. If you don’t like this movie, then it’s short run time isn’t much of a burden. I didn’t have a problem with it’s running time, but I felt as though there was potential for this OVA to become a series. Not a long show, but more of a 4 to 6 mini-series.
Availability & Pricing
Despite being a rather obscure show, Baoh is actually somewhat hard to find. I was only able to find a pinchful of DVDs over on Amazon, with a even divide between new & used (At the time of this writing, there are only 4 new & used copies available). Pricing, however, is a bit uneven: New copies start out at a whopping 79 dollars, while used copies start at a more generous 25 dollars.
Extras/Other
Since I downloaded this, I don’t know what the extras are.
General Impression & Rating
Baoh is just boring, plain & simple. It’s a shame, really, cause the story has some weight to it, and Ikuro & Sumire are kinda interesting characters. If there was more effort put into everything else, I might recommend this movie to you. With how meh everything else is, I’d recommend it to you, but in this case, I’m not gonna, although those who are curious might go for it.
Baoh gets a 5 out of 10.
See you all later today, when I’ll talk to you about grieving. Until then, stay Otaku!
Story/Setup
Taken from the Wikipedia page:
“Teenager Ikuro Hashizawa is kidnapped and turned into a Baoh, a bioweapon with super human strength and other abilities such as firing a corrosive substance, by the Judas Laboratory. He escapes with the help of Sumire, a 10-year-old psychic girl. Professor Hazyeye, head scientist at Judas, sends various assassins and monsters to try and kill Ikuro, in means of stopping the Baoh virus from spreading and infecting the world.”
To be honest with you, Baoh’s story is really it’s only saving grace, despite how basic & predictable it is. Good guys escape, bad guys send out minions, good guys beat up/kill said minions, one good guy gets captured, etc etc. It really gets predictable as you get further & further into the film, but at least the idea behind the story is original.
Setting
Baoh’s setting, for the most part, feels rather generic. It isn’t like Angel Cop, as at least this movie puts effort into how it looks, but at the same time there really wasn’t much effort. Everything looks rather typical of the late 80s timeframe, and perhaps the only effort put into any of the environments are the laboratories that the bad guys use. There’s definitely some imagination put into them, but at the same time still feels weak.
Characters
The characters in this movie are, for a lack of better terms.....boring. None of them are really likable, but they aren’t necessarily bad. The only characters that you kinda support are Ikuro/Baoh and the psychic girl Sumire, and that’s only because of their circumstances.
Animation
Baoh animation quality is.....okay at best. It’s far, far from the ugliness of Angel Cop, but it isn’t the greatest looking thing on the planet. There are some interesting visual moments, like Ikuro’s transformation into Baoh, and a vision of Sumire’s early in the movie, but the movie itself just feels plain.
Voice Acting
Voice acting in Baoh is...meh. There really isn’t any one character in the movie that’s any better or any worse than everybody else. All of the characters just have a monotone voice that really doesn’t change much from emotion to emotion. Even when it actually does change, it’s more in terms of volume rather than emotion.
Episodes & Episode Length
Like Appleseed, Baoh is a feature film. Unlike Appleseed, Baoh has a shorter run time. 47 minutes, to be exact. If you don’t like this movie, then it’s short run time isn’t much of a burden. I didn’t have a problem with it’s running time, but I felt as though there was potential for this OVA to become a series. Not a long show, but more of a 4 to 6 mini-series.
Availability & Pricing
Despite being a rather obscure show, Baoh is actually somewhat hard to find. I was only able to find a pinchful of DVDs over on Amazon, with a even divide between new & used (At the time of this writing, there are only 4 new & used copies available). Pricing, however, is a bit uneven: New copies start out at a whopping 79 dollars, while used copies start at a more generous 25 dollars.
Extras/Other
Since I downloaded this, I don’t know what the extras are.
General Impression & Rating
Baoh is just boring, plain & simple. It’s a shame, really, cause the story has some weight to it, and Ikuro & Sumire are kinda interesting characters. If there was more effort put into everything else, I might recommend this movie to you. With how meh everything else is, I’d recommend it to you, but in this case, I’m not gonna, although those who are curious might go for it.
Baoh gets a 5 out of 10.
See you all later today, when I’ll talk to you about grieving. Until then, stay Otaku!
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Appleseed Review
Hi there! Well, so far I’ve been putting out my reviews at a relatively consistent pace. It looks like (Right now, at least) I’ll be meeting my schedule of finishing these reviews by September. The only bump in the road that I do see coming is in July around the weekend of Connecticon, and possibly my relatives from down south coming up in a couple weeks might make another bump, but I’m not sure. With that out of the way, let’s take a look at another cyberpunk classic, and delve into the world of Appleseed.
Story/Setup
Taken from the Wikipedia page:
“After World War 3 the General Management Control Office constructs an experimental city known as Olympus. It is inhabited by humans, cyborgs, and bioroids. Bioroids are genetically engineered beings created to serve Mankind. They oversee all the administration duties of Olympus. Olympus was meant to be a utopian society, but for some, it feels more like a cage. Calon Mautholos, an Olympus city police officer, is one of the many who feel that way.
Calon secretly conspires with a terrorist, A. J. Sebastian, to destroy Gaia, a super computer that runs the various utilities and networks of Olympus. Out to stop them are Olympus City ESWAT (Enhanced SWAT) team members Deunan Knute and Briareos Hecatonchires. Deunan and Briareos are determined to stop the terrorist plot by any means necessary.”
I will say this about Appleseed’s story: it’s both original, yet cheesy & cliched at the same time. It’s original in it’s idea, cheesy because of basing it on a hypothetical post WW3 scenario, and chiched because this type of story has been done numerous ways before.
Setting
Appleseed’s setting is a two-sided coin. On the one hand, we see the nicer sides of Olympus City: it’s clean, pristine, and not a trace of grime in sight. You can see that those who are privileged and/or have wealth are living quite comfortably. On the other had, we see the darker side of Olympus City as well: it’s dark, gritty, and full of despair. It’s a place where you can tell that the less desirables are put here so they aren’t seen by the more polite crowd. These two distinct side create an interesting setting that somehow doesn’t feel stale & cliched, yet is original as well.
Characters *
Although there are only 8 main characters, the small cast of Appleseed adds flavor to the movie. The duo of this OVA, Deunan & Briareos, take up most of the screen time, and thus we come to know them more. Deunan is the no-nonsense team member: when the bad guys threaten her friends/allies and home, she takes up arms in the typical action hero way, and raises all kinds of hell. Briareos, on the other hand, is part tough-guy/part comedic relief. Because of his unique head/helmet, we don’t have a typical face to look at it. Instead, the only way we can examine his emotions is by the tone of his voice, and by the movement of his antennae-ears. Despite their differences, the two work very well together when the bad guys come.
Animation
Given it’s release date of 1988, you’d think that it wouldn’t look good, and not hold up. Wrong! Appleseed has managed to hold up incredibly well, and I swear to the anime gods above, that this movie looks relatively similar to Dominion Tank Police. It has that show’s color palate, feel, and the character look similar to those within DTP as well. There’s times where it shows it’s age, but for the most part Appleseed is still a relatively good looking movie.
Voice Acting
The voice acting in Appleseed has also managed to hold up surprisingly well also. It’s always fun to here someone try and hide their original accent (If any), and it’s very apparent that many of the voice actors in this movie are doing so. Having said that, the dub isn’t half bad, and most of the voice actors seem to cover up their accent quite nicely. One little comment: Deunan’s friend/ally Briareos, I swear for the life of me, sounds like he was voiced by the guy that voiced Mad Bull. If anyone knows otherwise, please notify me when you can.
Episodes & Episode Length
Unlike the shows I’ve reviewed so far, Appleseed is a single, self-contained movie. Running at about an hour and 7 minutes, this OVA is perfect to watch on a afternoon, whether it’s by yourself, or with a friend or two. I should point out that the allotted time of this OVA fits perfectly with the story, yet there’s room for expansion into the world that Appleseed created.
Availability & Pricing
Despite being released over a decade, Appleseed can be found with quite some frequency online. Over on Amazon, two particular copies can still be found: the 2001 release by Manga Entertainment, and the 2007 Manga Entertainment (Known as Essence of Anime: Appleseed). Their prices are incredibly fair as well, the 2001 release starts at $5.98, and the 2007 release starts at $2.49. I’m quite tempted to buy both copies, if only to see what the differences between the two releases are.
Extras/Other
Since I downloaded this, I don’t know what the extras are.
General Impression & Rating
Appleseed is a fun movie. Even if you’re not a fan of action and/or cyberpunk, it’s a great film from an earlier time, when older anime was more in the spotlight than it was now. Only some tiny things mar Appleseed’s otherwise perfect image. My advice: buy a copy, sit down with a couple friends, and watch a classic film.
Appleseed gets a 8.5 to 9 out of 10.
See you all later this week, when we’ll look at a rather bland film. Until then, stay Otaku!
* For a better look at (some) of the characters, click on the link below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appleseed_%28OVA%29
Story/Setup
Taken from the Wikipedia page:
“After World War 3 the General Management Control Office constructs an experimental city known as Olympus. It is inhabited by humans, cyborgs, and bioroids. Bioroids are genetically engineered beings created to serve Mankind. They oversee all the administration duties of Olympus. Olympus was meant to be a utopian society, but for some, it feels more like a cage. Calon Mautholos, an Olympus city police officer, is one of the many who feel that way.
Calon secretly conspires with a terrorist, A. J. Sebastian, to destroy Gaia, a super computer that runs the various utilities and networks of Olympus. Out to stop them are Olympus City ESWAT (Enhanced SWAT) team members Deunan Knute and Briareos Hecatonchires. Deunan and Briareos are determined to stop the terrorist plot by any means necessary.”
I will say this about Appleseed’s story: it’s both original, yet cheesy & cliched at the same time. It’s original in it’s idea, cheesy because of basing it on a hypothetical post WW3 scenario, and chiched because this type of story has been done numerous ways before.
Setting
Appleseed’s setting is a two-sided coin. On the one hand, we see the nicer sides of Olympus City: it’s clean, pristine, and not a trace of grime in sight. You can see that those who are privileged and/or have wealth are living quite comfortably. On the other had, we see the darker side of Olympus City as well: it’s dark, gritty, and full of despair. It’s a place where you can tell that the less desirables are put here so they aren’t seen by the more polite crowd. These two distinct side create an interesting setting that somehow doesn’t feel stale & cliched, yet is original as well.
Characters *
Although there are only 8 main characters, the small cast of Appleseed adds flavor to the movie. The duo of this OVA, Deunan & Briareos, take up most of the screen time, and thus we come to know them more. Deunan is the no-nonsense team member: when the bad guys threaten her friends/allies and home, she takes up arms in the typical action hero way, and raises all kinds of hell. Briareos, on the other hand, is part tough-guy/part comedic relief. Because of his unique head/helmet, we don’t have a typical face to look at it. Instead, the only way we can examine his emotions is by the tone of his voice, and by the movement of his antennae-ears. Despite their differences, the two work very well together when the bad guys come.
Animation
Given it’s release date of 1988, you’d think that it wouldn’t look good, and not hold up. Wrong! Appleseed has managed to hold up incredibly well, and I swear to the anime gods above, that this movie looks relatively similar to Dominion Tank Police. It has that show’s color palate, feel, and the character look similar to those within DTP as well. There’s times where it shows it’s age, but for the most part Appleseed is still a relatively good looking movie.
Voice Acting
The voice acting in Appleseed has also managed to hold up surprisingly well also. It’s always fun to here someone try and hide their original accent (If any), and it’s very apparent that many of the voice actors in this movie are doing so. Having said that, the dub isn’t half bad, and most of the voice actors seem to cover up their accent quite nicely. One little comment: Deunan’s friend/ally Briareos, I swear for the life of me, sounds like he was voiced by the guy that voiced Mad Bull. If anyone knows otherwise, please notify me when you can.
Episodes & Episode Length
Unlike the shows I’ve reviewed so far, Appleseed is a single, self-contained movie. Running at about an hour and 7 minutes, this OVA is perfect to watch on a afternoon, whether it’s by yourself, or with a friend or two. I should point out that the allotted time of this OVA fits perfectly with the story, yet there’s room for expansion into the world that Appleseed created.
Availability & Pricing
Despite being released over a decade, Appleseed can be found with quite some frequency online. Over on Amazon, two particular copies can still be found: the 2001 release by Manga Entertainment, and the 2007 Manga Entertainment (Known as Essence of Anime: Appleseed). Their prices are incredibly fair as well, the 2001 release starts at $5.98, and the 2007 release starts at $2.49. I’m quite tempted to buy both copies, if only to see what the differences between the two releases are.
Extras/Other
Since I downloaded this, I don’t know what the extras are.
General Impression & Rating
Appleseed is a fun movie. Even if you’re not a fan of action and/or cyberpunk, it’s a great film from an earlier time, when older anime was more in the spotlight than it was now. Only some tiny things mar Appleseed’s otherwise perfect image. My advice: buy a copy, sit down with a couple friends, and watch a classic film.
Appleseed gets a 8.5 to 9 out of 10.
See you all later this week, when we’ll look at a rather bland film. Until then, stay Otaku!
* For a better look at (some) of the characters, click on the link below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appleseed_%28OVA%29
Friday, June 7, 2013
Angel Cop Review
Hi there! Today’s review is a infamous piece of 90s shlock. I didn’t know it, but the show today was aired at Genericon this year. Given it’s reputation, it was only a matter of time that it would come my way, and also given that I like to jump over the edge from time to time.....well, you know what I mean. So, for your enjoyment, here’s a review for the hideous Angel Cop.
Story/Setup
Here’s the story in a nutshell, taken from a review on the anime news network:
“The Special Security Section, a top-secret anti-terrorism task force, gets a new deadly agent in Angel, a cold bringer of death who wouldn't hesitate to kill a child if it meant also taking out her target. Her new partner, Raiden (who inexplicably wears a leather jacket, no shirt, and carries around one of those 1988-era brick-sized cell phones in there somewhere) gets wounded while hunting down the Communist Red May, a group of communist extremists bent on turning Japan into the next communist state. Their leader, a dude named Suyama, is just getting out of prison when they launch a surprise attack on the American Embassy.
Angel happily leaves Raiden for dead to go after her target. But the war with the Red May is soon brought to an early and sudden end with the involvement of a group of ESPers, which include a little girl with the power of fire named Freya, her caretaker Asra (who has that gigantic Twisted Sister-esque poodle hairdo and a cape), and their ringleader, the American sexpot Lucifer, who looks like a drag queen trying to impersonate Sharon Stone. She turns into something resembling a demon that Angel spends much of the series trying to take out. The three ESPers have decided to declare war on pretty much every organized group in the world, starting with the Communist Red May. The Special Security Force is next.”
I will give Angel Cop one positive, and that’s it’s story. It’s definitely clever, and there’s some originality in there. Given what’s coming, however, that’s not saying much.
Setting
A big negative to Angel Cop is it’s setting. It feels to much like Tokyo from the 80s to mid-90s: the skyscrapers are obviously too big for there own good, the other building/areas are either too dirty or too clean, the cyberpunk (I’m using the term loosely) elements are bland and seem out of place in certain scenes, and the police/security forces look far too standard in an anime of it’s time. This really is disappointing, as the story manages to paint a an interesting picture.
Characters
I don’t like any of the characters. Nope, I don’t like any of them. There are the two reasons why:
1) They’re all scumbags. Everybody in this show is either a liar, murderer/terrorst, or all in all is just a douchebag. Even for the tiny....tiny few characters that have at least a shred of morality, they always act in a way that’s brushes that morality to the side. The only character that I barely give a damn about (emphasis on the word barely) is Angel, and even then she’s on the razor’s edge for me. She’s a strong female lead who can definitely hold her own, but more often than not makes dumb decisions (That somehow don’t always have consequences. Don’t ask.), or doesn’t take action when she needs to.
2) There’s not that many. Given the story of Angel Cop, you’d expect a relatively large cast of characters. Instead, we’re given just 13 main characters, and a host of secondary characters that get slaughtered. A tiny few of the secondary characters appear to be slightly interesting, but they aren’t given much time, or they get brutally murdered.
If you manage to like any of the characters, then I respect your taste. I don’t agree with you, but I’m not gonna call you out.
Animation
Angel Cop is uuuuugggly. Butt fucking uuuuugggly. It’s the kind of ugly that adds fuel to your nightmares. Everything seems kinda blurred, and the show relies heavily on dark colors and shadows to give this series a gritty feeling.....and fails! To round out the show’s ugliness, the various character models just look horrible. The female characters look okay, but not by much.
A quick comment about the violence in this show. Unlike Mad Bull 34, where the violence was depicted in a over-the-top comical style (Despite how graphic it got in the later episodes), the violence in Angel Cop went for a more visceral/real-ish look & feel. People bleed profusely, brains & skull matter spread out when someone gets shot in the head, and in one moment about halfway through, an interrogation victim has been tortured so badly, his arm has practically rotted, and is infested with maggots. Definitely vomit inducing for those with weak constitutions.
Voice Acting
Angel Cop’s voice acting is.....okay, at best. Everybody at most sound incredibly mediocre, and those few who do have alright voices are typically drowned out by how awful/bland everybody else is. Making this situation worse is that there are lines that are just hilarious. Lines like “Alright buttfuck, that’s enough speech for now!” and “If this is justice then I'm a banana” definitely made me laugh. If I did have one reason why people should watch this show, it would be for the incredibly goofy & over-the-top lines they chose.
Episodes & Episode Length
For such a shlock title, Angel Cop has a surprising amount of episodes to it. Composed of 6 episodes, each of which last from 24 minutes to just over a half-hour, this series has a surprising amount of weight to it as far as length is concerned. It’s a shame that just about everything else in this show sucks!
Availability & Pricing
Fortunately, Angel Cop has been out of print for some time. With that said, there are some copies over on Amazon still. At the time of me writing this, there’s 7 new copies and 22 used copies. The new copies are rather expensive, and start at close to 68 dollars. Fortunately (Or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), the first couple used DVDs start at 22 dollars. If you want to subject yourself to this torture, then I suggest you buy one of the used DVDs.
Extras/Other
Since I downloaded this show, I don’t know what extras the DVD contains.
Oh, here’s a good one! There’s a point within the first or second episode where they find out who’s been sponsoring the terrorists. In Japan, there’s a surprising amount of anti-Semitism (Whether it’s due to Germany’s influence from WW2, or there own culture, remains to been seen), enough to the point of shocking. Not wanting to offend viewers, the dub was changed from Jews to Americans, and the anti-Semitism was removed completely from the sub. It’s still offensive, but not quite as bad.
General Impression & Rating
Angel Cop is bad. Really, really, really bad. I’m glad this show is no longer in print, so it’s evil doesn’t spread any further than it already has. Having said that, I’m a fan of anime shlock, and this show is definitely close to the peak of shlock mountain (I got a couple others in my library). My suggestion: get a couple friends, some alcohol, drink said alcohol, watch this show, and laugh at how bad this show is.
Angel Cop gets a 3 to 3.5 out of 10.
See you all next week, when we’ll look at another cyberpunk masterpiece. Until then, stay Otaku!
Story/Setup
Here’s the story in a nutshell, taken from a review on the anime news network:
“The Special Security Section, a top-secret anti-terrorism task force, gets a new deadly agent in Angel, a cold bringer of death who wouldn't hesitate to kill a child if it meant also taking out her target. Her new partner, Raiden (who inexplicably wears a leather jacket, no shirt, and carries around one of those 1988-era brick-sized cell phones in there somewhere) gets wounded while hunting down the Communist Red May, a group of communist extremists bent on turning Japan into the next communist state. Their leader, a dude named Suyama, is just getting out of prison when they launch a surprise attack on the American Embassy.
Angel happily leaves Raiden for dead to go after her target. But the war with the Red May is soon brought to an early and sudden end with the involvement of a group of ESPers, which include a little girl with the power of fire named Freya, her caretaker Asra (who has that gigantic Twisted Sister-esque poodle hairdo and a cape), and their ringleader, the American sexpot Lucifer, who looks like a drag queen trying to impersonate Sharon Stone. She turns into something resembling a demon that Angel spends much of the series trying to take out. The three ESPers have decided to declare war on pretty much every organized group in the world, starting with the Communist Red May. The Special Security Force is next.”
I will give Angel Cop one positive, and that’s it’s story. It’s definitely clever, and there’s some originality in there. Given what’s coming, however, that’s not saying much.
Setting
A big negative to Angel Cop is it’s setting. It feels to much like Tokyo from the 80s to mid-90s: the skyscrapers are obviously too big for there own good, the other building/areas are either too dirty or too clean, the cyberpunk (I’m using the term loosely) elements are bland and seem out of place in certain scenes, and the police/security forces look far too standard in an anime of it’s time. This really is disappointing, as the story manages to paint a an interesting picture.
Characters
I don’t like any of the characters. Nope, I don’t like any of them. There are the two reasons why:
1) They’re all scumbags. Everybody in this show is either a liar, murderer/terrorst, or all in all is just a douchebag. Even for the tiny....tiny few characters that have at least a shred of morality, they always act in a way that’s brushes that morality to the side. The only character that I barely give a damn about (emphasis on the word barely) is Angel, and even then she’s on the razor’s edge for me. She’s a strong female lead who can definitely hold her own, but more often than not makes dumb decisions (That somehow don’t always have consequences. Don’t ask.), or doesn’t take action when she needs to.
2) There’s not that many. Given the story of Angel Cop, you’d expect a relatively large cast of characters. Instead, we’re given just 13 main characters, and a host of secondary characters that get slaughtered. A tiny few of the secondary characters appear to be slightly interesting, but they aren’t given much time, or they get brutally murdered.
If you manage to like any of the characters, then I respect your taste. I don’t agree with you, but I’m not gonna call you out.
Animation
Angel Cop is uuuuugggly. Butt fucking uuuuugggly. It’s the kind of ugly that adds fuel to your nightmares. Everything seems kinda blurred, and the show relies heavily on dark colors and shadows to give this series a gritty feeling.....and fails! To round out the show’s ugliness, the various character models just look horrible. The female characters look okay, but not by much.
A quick comment about the violence in this show. Unlike Mad Bull 34, where the violence was depicted in a over-the-top comical style (Despite how graphic it got in the later episodes), the violence in Angel Cop went for a more visceral/real-ish look & feel. People bleed profusely, brains & skull matter spread out when someone gets shot in the head, and in one moment about halfway through, an interrogation victim has been tortured so badly, his arm has practically rotted, and is infested with maggots. Definitely vomit inducing for those with weak constitutions.
Voice Acting
Angel Cop’s voice acting is.....okay, at best. Everybody at most sound incredibly mediocre, and those few who do have alright voices are typically drowned out by how awful/bland everybody else is. Making this situation worse is that there are lines that are just hilarious. Lines like “Alright buttfuck, that’s enough speech for now!” and “If this is justice then I'm a banana” definitely made me laugh. If I did have one reason why people should watch this show, it would be for the incredibly goofy & over-the-top lines they chose.
Episodes & Episode Length
For such a shlock title, Angel Cop has a surprising amount of episodes to it. Composed of 6 episodes, each of which last from 24 minutes to just over a half-hour, this series has a surprising amount of weight to it as far as length is concerned. It’s a shame that just about everything else in this show sucks!
Availability & Pricing
Fortunately, Angel Cop has been out of print for some time. With that said, there are some copies over on Amazon still. At the time of me writing this, there’s 7 new copies and 22 used copies. The new copies are rather expensive, and start at close to 68 dollars. Fortunately (Or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), the first couple used DVDs start at 22 dollars. If you want to subject yourself to this torture, then I suggest you buy one of the used DVDs.
Extras/Other
Since I downloaded this show, I don’t know what extras the DVD contains.
Oh, here’s a good one! There’s a point within the first or second episode where they find out who’s been sponsoring the terrorists. In Japan, there’s a surprising amount of anti-Semitism (Whether it’s due to Germany’s influence from WW2, or there own culture, remains to been seen), enough to the point of shocking. Not wanting to offend viewers, the dub was changed from Jews to Americans, and the anti-Semitism was removed completely from the sub. It’s still offensive, but not quite as bad.
General Impression & Rating
Angel Cop is bad. Really, really, really bad. I’m glad this show is no longer in print, so it’s evil doesn’t spread any further than it already has. Having said that, I’m a fan of anime shlock, and this show is definitely close to the peak of shlock mountain (I got a couple others in my library). My suggestion: get a couple friends, some alcohol, drink said alcohol, watch this show, and laugh at how bad this show is.
Angel Cop gets a 3 to 3.5 out of 10.
See you all next week, when we’ll look at another cyberpunk masterpiece. Until then, stay Otaku!
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
AD Police Files Review
Hey everybody! Today marks the beginning of my 4-month series of reviews. Like I said in my post first telling you about this series, I’ll be posting up two reviews a week. For this one, I got a dose cyberpunk for you, and a infamous piece of 90s anime shlock. Gear up, strap in, and lets start off this series with a prequel review for an iconic piece of cyberpunk anime. Here’s a review for AD Police Files.
Story/Setup
Taking place 5 years before the events of Bubblegum Crisis, AD Police Files shows off three early cases of A.D. Police: Dead End City, a manga that takes place within the series. You see the origin story of Leon McNichol (A character we also see in Bubblegum Crisis), and his involvement within the previously mention cases: a hostile female boomer going out of control, a series of prostitute murders, and finally a AD Police captain becoming a boomer/cyborg due to injuries, and going berserk because of the actions of others.
Each of these episodes have intriguing stories to them, chock-ful with action, suspense, horror, and perhaps a tiny bit of skin if you know what I mean. With that said, you have to watch the show it the order it was made, otherwise you’ll possibly be a little confused as to what’s going on.
Setting
Just like Bubblegum Crisis, AD Police Files takes place in Mega-Tokyo. Both shows depict the city as a dystopian citadel, filled with the broken dreams of the common folk that dwell in the environment, and just dripping with cyberpunk imagery & themes (Evil corporations, abundance of robots & other technological devices, science, etc). Where as Bubblegum Crisis seems a little more lighthearted and not as serious (Yet still having serious moments), AD Police Files goes for a darker tone & feel, but we’ll get to that point later.
Characters
Characterization in AD Police Files is interesting. Whereas I liked most of the characters in Bubblegum Crisis, I didn’t like most of the characters in this show. They seemed like film noir characters, but not the good kind. Many of them seem too whiney, too mopey, and look like they would rather serve themselves than the public. There aren’t that many characters that fell good, perhaps because they don’t have enough screen time, or don’t have enough of a roll within the show at large.
Animation
AD Police Files feels roughly like Bubblegum Crisis. It still has that show’s cyberpunk art style, and the characters move around just about as fluidly. What separates AD Police Files from Bubblegum Crisis is the animation’s tone. The whole thing looks darker & grittier that Bubblegum Crisis (Which is ironic, given that Bubblegum Crisis is a cyberpunk show, and cyberpunk tends to have occasional gritty tones), creating an experience that is more serious than it’s predecessor. I know that I should have explained this more in the “Setting” section, but it seemed more appropriate to talk about it here.
Voice Acting
Similar to Bubblegum Crisis, the voice acting in AD Police Files goes all over the place. Where as BC had a even mix between good & bad voice actors, AD Police Files seems to lean over towards the side of good voice acting, with only a few people noting quite putting their all into the roles they were given. There’s more of a sense of hard working actors at the helm of most of these characters, and the few that are bad sound at least okay, if not forgettable.
Episodes & Episode Length
Like Gunsmith Cats, AD Police Files has only 3 episodes to it’s name, each running about 26-27 minutes. Where as I found the 3 episodes in Gunsmith Cats to work with the story, in this show I’m not so sure. It almost feels like there was more to the story in this prequel than what we were shown. Given that it’s before the events of Bubblegum Crisis, I understand. With me, however, I feel that there was a story or two more within this show, but something happened and they had to cut them. It would be interesting to find out if anybody knew something.
Availability & Pricing
If you’re a fan of Bubblegum Crisis, you’ll be happy to know that AD Police Files can still be readily found, whether on places like youtube or amazon. There’s plenty of dvds to be found on amazon, mostly new copies (At the time of this writing, there’s only 4 used copies available). Pricing isn’t terrible: new copies of this show range anywhere from $10.50 to about 18-19 dollars. Even though I downloaded the episodes, I’m incredibly tempted to buy a DVD copy of this show, mostly for the hell of it.
Extras/Other
Since I downloaded this show, I don’t know what extras the DVD contains.
I should quickly mention before I end this review the music that’s in the show. Like Bubblegum Crisis, the music in AD Police Files sounds like it came from the 80s to early 90s. It’s cheesy, goofy, and will definitely make you snicker a couple times, but at the same time it sound good, and it fits the show just fine.
General Impression & Rating
If you’re a fan of the Bubblegum Crisis series, AD Police Files is worth picking up. Like it’s predecessor, it’s an action packed series, filled with cyberpunk goodness, suspense, and small doses of goofy humor. The voice acting is better than it’s predecessor, a little bit darker than predecessor, and is actually cheaper than it’s predecessor! Even if you didn’t watch Bubblegum Crisis before this one, I highly recommend AD Police Files as a nice stand alone OVA, perfect to watch on a afternoon.
AD Police Files gets a 7.5 to 8 out of 10
See you all later this week, when I’ll be reviewing one of the most horrible series in existence. Until then, stay Otaku!
Story/Setup
Taking place 5 years before the events of Bubblegum Crisis, AD Police Files shows off three early cases of A.D. Police: Dead End City, a manga that takes place within the series. You see the origin story of Leon McNichol (A character we also see in Bubblegum Crisis), and his involvement within the previously mention cases: a hostile female boomer going out of control, a series of prostitute murders, and finally a AD Police captain becoming a boomer/cyborg due to injuries, and going berserk because of the actions of others.
Each of these episodes have intriguing stories to them, chock-ful with action, suspense, horror, and perhaps a tiny bit of skin if you know what I mean. With that said, you have to watch the show it the order it was made, otherwise you’ll possibly be a little confused as to what’s going on.
Setting
Just like Bubblegum Crisis, AD Police Files takes place in Mega-Tokyo. Both shows depict the city as a dystopian citadel, filled with the broken dreams of the common folk that dwell in the environment, and just dripping with cyberpunk imagery & themes (Evil corporations, abundance of robots & other technological devices, science, etc). Where as Bubblegum Crisis seems a little more lighthearted and not as serious (Yet still having serious moments), AD Police Files goes for a darker tone & feel, but we’ll get to that point later.
Characters
Characterization in AD Police Files is interesting. Whereas I liked most of the characters in Bubblegum Crisis, I didn’t like most of the characters in this show. They seemed like film noir characters, but not the good kind. Many of them seem too whiney, too mopey, and look like they would rather serve themselves than the public. There aren’t that many characters that fell good, perhaps because they don’t have enough screen time, or don’t have enough of a roll within the show at large.
Animation
AD Police Files feels roughly like Bubblegum Crisis. It still has that show’s cyberpunk art style, and the characters move around just about as fluidly. What separates AD Police Files from Bubblegum Crisis is the animation’s tone. The whole thing looks darker & grittier that Bubblegum Crisis (Which is ironic, given that Bubblegum Crisis is a cyberpunk show, and cyberpunk tends to have occasional gritty tones), creating an experience that is more serious than it’s predecessor. I know that I should have explained this more in the “Setting” section, but it seemed more appropriate to talk about it here.
Voice Acting
Similar to Bubblegum Crisis, the voice acting in AD Police Files goes all over the place. Where as BC had a even mix between good & bad voice actors, AD Police Files seems to lean over towards the side of good voice acting, with only a few people noting quite putting their all into the roles they were given. There’s more of a sense of hard working actors at the helm of most of these characters, and the few that are bad sound at least okay, if not forgettable.
Episodes & Episode Length
Like Gunsmith Cats, AD Police Files has only 3 episodes to it’s name, each running about 26-27 minutes. Where as I found the 3 episodes in Gunsmith Cats to work with the story, in this show I’m not so sure. It almost feels like there was more to the story in this prequel than what we were shown. Given that it’s before the events of Bubblegum Crisis, I understand. With me, however, I feel that there was a story or two more within this show, but something happened and they had to cut them. It would be interesting to find out if anybody knew something.
Availability & Pricing
If you’re a fan of Bubblegum Crisis, you’ll be happy to know that AD Police Files can still be readily found, whether on places like youtube or amazon. There’s plenty of dvds to be found on amazon, mostly new copies (At the time of this writing, there’s only 4 used copies available). Pricing isn’t terrible: new copies of this show range anywhere from $10.50 to about 18-19 dollars. Even though I downloaded the episodes, I’m incredibly tempted to buy a DVD copy of this show, mostly for the hell of it.
Extras/Other
Since I downloaded this show, I don’t know what extras the DVD contains.
I should quickly mention before I end this review the music that’s in the show. Like Bubblegum Crisis, the music in AD Police Files sounds like it came from the 80s to early 90s. It’s cheesy, goofy, and will definitely make you snicker a couple times, but at the same time it sound good, and it fits the show just fine.
General Impression & Rating
If you’re a fan of the Bubblegum Crisis series, AD Police Files is worth picking up. Like it’s predecessor, it’s an action packed series, filled with cyberpunk goodness, suspense, and small doses of goofy humor. The voice acting is better than it’s predecessor, a little bit darker than predecessor, and is actually cheaper than it’s predecessor! Even if you didn’t watch Bubblegum Crisis before this one, I highly recommend AD Police Files as a nice stand alone OVA, perfect to watch on a afternoon.
AD Police Files gets a 7.5 to 8 out of 10
See you all later this week, when I’ll be reviewing one of the most horrible series in existence. Until then, stay Otaku!
Monday, June 3, 2013
My Top 10 Books
Well ladies & gentlemen, this is it. The last of my top 10 lists. I’ve taken you all on a months-long personal journey, shows you all my top 10 games, anime, movies & tv shows, and more recently, my top 10 singers & bands. Today’s top 10 list was perhaps the toughest of the lists that I made, simply due to the fact that I’ve read hordes upon hordes of books, some of which I’ve unfortunately forgotten overtime. Luckily, the choices I picked for this list can’t, and probably won’t, be forgotten. So, as a final glimpse into my mind, here are my top 10 books of all time. Enjoy!
Oh, and I’ll put the first of my 40 anime reviews up later. I just wanted to get this out of the way.
10) Harry Potter franchise
It’s a safe bet to say that anybody from my generation has read this book series, and to any religious fanatic that still complains about this book series will burn in the fiery death pits of Hell. In fact, this was one of the book series that further increased my desire for reading & books!
What makes the Harry Potter series so good are two things. First off if J.K. Rowling. Her writing skill is very unique, as she puts down some mature things, yet she manages to not make young readers (And even older readers to a degree) feel stupid or talk down to them. Not only that, but she’s created a unique world, where elements that are familiar yet different come together to form almost a living, breathing universe that almost seems real, and you want to go to Harry’s world.
The second component is the story itself. To not spoil it for those very few people who haven’t read the books (Or watched the movies), here’s a quick summary: The story revolves around a boy named Harry Potter. At a very young age, his parents were slain by a dark wizard, and was sent to live with his aunt & uncle by wizards who knew his mother & father. When he reaches his early teens, he gets a note (Delivered to him by an Owl) from a place called Hogwarts. The letter tells him that he’s been accepted as a student, and they’ll teach him the ways of magic. After getting away from his aunt & uncle, he arrives at the school, and beings a 7-year journey of making friends & enemies, learning the ways of magic & mysticism, and uncovering secrets that were perhaps best left in the shadows. Each of the books in the series has everything you’d expect in a story like this: love, betrayal, death, etc. What makes the story good is that it’s done in a way that’s not hard for young people to understand, but it doesn’t make them feel stupid in the slightest. Any book series that can do this deserves to be praised for all time, or at the very least respected.
9) A Million Little Bricks
I only discovered this book late last year (I believe it was October when I saw it), and I got it for Christmas a little later. Part history guide, part picture gallery, and part resource material are all within this book. But what exactly is this manuscript, you might ask?
Well, this book is an unofficial history of the Lego Group. From it’s humble origins as a small collection of wooden toy makers, to the titans of plastic know around the work, A Million Little Bricks talks about the history of Legos, from beginning to end (2011, to be specific), and along the way they show pictures of the original wooden toys they made, to Lego sets both old & new. There’s also segments where they talk about the many individuals of the Lego Group that have worked within the company, and the contributions that they brought to the table.
I can only smile when I read this. When I look at the picture, I always try to see which sets I have, and which sets I’ve only seen. Even when there weren’t any pictures, I always looked through the book to find sets (Or various builds of sets) that I own. It is for the reasons of pure nostalgia that A Million Little Bricks takes a spot on this list.
8) Chobits
I don’t have much in the way of manga. All I have is this series, the number 6 & number 5 spot, two volumes of the original Tenchi Muyo manga, a small handful of free manga from Genericon 2013, and the first volume of With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child, which is a unique series in it’s own right. What gets Chobits onto this list A: that I got all of it in one fell swoop at Genericon 2012 (It was kinda expensive, but worth it at the same time) and B: the theme of the manga.
Without delving heavily into the thick of it (Click on “***” to read my review on the Chobits series, where you’ll also find a description of the story), the theme of Chobits is man’s desire (Some would say obsession) for technology, and just how much closer we are to becoming machines ourselves. It’s surprisingly deep & philosophical, and it’s an issue that’s becoming more & more relevant in this age. To supplement this serious theme, there’s also plenty of moments for comedy, drama, and romance. The two sides never overwhelm each other, but they actually meld at numerous points throughout the manga, making for an enjoyable read.
7) Venus Illustrations: Satoshi Urushihara Illustrations
I have to laugh at this choice. When I first looked at the front cover, it appeared as though it was printed in the United States. English on the front, and English on the back. To my surprise, when I was flipping through the book, I noticed that all the wording, with a few exceptions, was entirely in German. It turns out that this collection of artwork was printed by a German comic company, and not in the United States. “Facepalm.”
In all seriousness, I’m not really complaining, because it’s the art that takes the center stage. If you remember from my Plastic Little review in late 2011, the first positive I said was that Satoshi Urushihara did the artwork in the show, and he does the artwork here. He really has a godlike grasp on drawing women: their faces look real, and their bodies are absolutely stunning. The man really knows how to draw breasts (You’d swear to god that the nipples were real), vaginas (Again, you’d swear that they’re real), and in a odd twist, pubic hair around the vagina (Yet again, the pubic hair practically looks real). The artwork is just stunning, and I seriously liked everything that was within the book.
Speaking of Satoshi Urushihara.....
6) Plastic Little: Captain’s Log
This manga is another example of Satoshi Urushihara’s godlike powers of drawing. The world looks great, the women look great, and even the men manage to look rather handsome. The story of Captain’s Log: Essentially, it’s an extension of the original Plastic Little OVA, but it’s not really connected with that movie’s story, save for a pinch of references. Instead, we’re given a series of stories, each of which focus on one of the main characters (Except for the black guy.....racism anyone?). In these little stories, we’re given more background on these characters, enough to the point that the reader understands them more than they did in the OVA. This isn’t a deep manga, but it’s a lot of fun to read.
5) Rosario + Vampire: Seasons 1 & 2
This manga series has been taking me quite a white to assemble. I started about mid-summer of 2009, and I got volume 10 in late 2012/early 2013. I’m pleasantly surprised by this series, especially considering that I wanted the anime first. Whereas the anime was portrayed more as a love comedy, filled with hordes of fanservice (In the first moments of the first episode, we get our first panty shot.....HOLY SHIT!!!), and characters that were shadows of those within the manga, the manga is more of a balance between romance, comedy, drama, action, and horror, it had fanservice that was more tame, and the characters had more to them than how they were portrayed in the anime.
If I had one complaint about the manga, it would be that it could get over the top at times (Not in a good way, mind you), and the romance aspect can get a little wishy-washy. Other than those two things, Rosario + Vampire the manga is loads of fun to read!
4) Dante’s Inferno
Much like the Satoshi Urushihara art collection, my acquisition of Dante’s Inferno was kinda funny.
Back in I think 2005, me and a (At the time) friend we watching a special on the History Channel about the interpretation of Hell throughout the cultures of the world. At one point, the special talks about Dante Alighieri, and his writing of the first part of the Divine Comedy. It went into some of his background, what he was thinking during the writing, and even goes into some of the circles of Hell. I was really interested in what I saw, so I asked my Mom if she could get me a copy, and a couple weeks later, she got me one.
Dante’s Inferno was a very intriguing read. It was written in a very poetic manner, enough to the point that it could get confusing if you don’t pay enough attention. Despite this, Dante’s Inferno creates a vivid, almost realistic description of the darkness below us. From the top to the bottom, we’re shows what’s in store for souls who’ve gone against the way of god. From windstorms that batter the lustful, to a river of boiling blood for those who’ve slaughtered the innocent, to a dark cavern where the traitors of the world are frozen for all eternity, Dante’s creates an unholy world, through which he travels to gain an understanding of evil, and to bear witness to famous souls who are being tortured for all eternity for their crimes on Earth. Vivid, evocative, and creative, Dante’s Inferno is a book for those who want to be entertained & enthralled.
3) Doctor Faustus
Like Dante’s Inferno, Faust was a book that I discovered during that History Channel special about Hell, only for some reason I’m not quite as sure about it. Regardless, Faust was one of those things that took me by surprise. For one thing, the copy I got (Also given to me by my Mom) was part play, and part historical analysis. The history side of the book went into the actual Faust that inspired the story, the playwright that created the theater show (Christopher Marlowe), and pieces of information that fell off the wayside. It was really interesting to read it all, because I only heard & saw snipbits of the history from the special.
The play is a different story (Pun not intentional). In the original stories, Faust was commonly portrayed as bored & power hungry, and when he gets what he wants from the Devil, he believes that the sins he indulges in can’t be redeemed, and thus is dragged to hell. In Marlowe’s play, Faust is still taken to the depths, but he’s portrayed more as a somewhat tragic figure when he gains his powers, almost to the point where you can actually sympathize with him. It’s interesting in how Marlowe keeps the core tenants of the original Faust story, yet at the same time puts enough of a twist to make things feel fresh.
2) The Polar Express
This is one of the oldest books on the list that I remember. For the longest time, I would read this every Christmas Eve with my parents. We would hunker down in bed, put the accompanying tape into the cassette player, and just read along with the tape. To top it all off, when time came to ring the silver bell that also came with the book, the little bell would be wrung. Although my family and I haven’t read the book since I think 2004, the innocent ringing of that bell still echoes in my head.
For anyone that didn’t read the book (Or didn’t watch the 3d movie), The Polar Express is about a young boy on Christmas Eve, who awakens to the sounds of a train outside his house. Curiosity causes him to rise from his bed, and hop onto the train. The boy meets many other kids about his age, who tell him that the train is headed to the North Pole, and that they’ll get the chance to see Santa Claus. I can’t reveal the rest of the story, but if you noticed anything in the above paragraph, you might get a clue or two.
My advice: get this book, and read it with your family!
1) Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
It’s really funny that I’m concluding this list with children’s books, but I’m being sincerely honest about what’s on this list. In fact, this was one of the first books I ever read when I was a kid. Ironically, my parents didn’t help me read much. I was almost always reading by myself, and they would only come in if I was having difficulty with saying a word.
So what about the story? Basically, the story was about the experiences of one of the author’s sons. To sum things up, the kid goes through the kind of Hell that kids around his age: getting picked on by his brothers, getting in trouble at school and at one of his parents’s jobs, and all other sorts of bad things. It gets so bad, the son wants to move to Australia to get away from all of his trouble. But right at the end, the mother comes to him, and basically says that “Everybody has bad days, even for people who live in Australia.” Just that one sentence makes me remember the entire book, and somehow, someway, I still hold onto the simple lessons it taught me when I was that age.
If you’re a parent, and you’re looking for a book to read with your children, then I sincerely recommend Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. You’re nuts if you don’t get this for your kids!
See you all next week. Until then, stay Otaku!
* If you would like to look at my past top 10 lists, click on the links below:
Top 10 Games: “***”
Top 10 Anime: “***”
Top 10 Movies & TV Shows: “***”
Top 10 Singers & Bands: “***”
Oh, and I’ll put the first of my 40 anime reviews up later. I just wanted to get this out of the way.
10) Harry Potter franchise
It’s a safe bet to say that anybody from my generation has read this book series, and to any religious fanatic that still complains about this book series will burn in the fiery death pits of Hell. In fact, this was one of the book series that further increased my desire for reading & books!
What makes the Harry Potter series so good are two things. First off if J.K. Rowling. Her writing skill is very unique, as she puts down some mature things, yet she manages to not make young readers (And even older readers to a degree) feel stupid or talk down to them. Not only that, but she’s created a unique world, where elements that are familiar yet different come together to form almost a living, breathing universe that almost seems real, and you want to go to Harry’s world.
The second component is the story itself. To not spoil it for those very few people who haven’t read the books (Or watched the movies), here’s a quick summary: The story revolves around a boy named Harry Potter. At a very young age, his parents were slain by a dark wizard, and was sent to live with his aunt & uncle by wizards who knew his mother & father. When he reaches his early teens, he gets a note (Delivered to him by an Owl) from a place called Hogwarts. The letter tells him that he’s been accepted as a student, and they’ll teach him the ways of magic. After getting away from his aunt & uncle, he arrives at the school, and beings a 7-year journey of making friends & enemies, learning the ways of magic & mysticism, and uncovering secrets that were perhaps best left in the shadows. Each of the books in the series has everything you’d expect in a story like this: love, betrayal, death, etc. What makes the story good is that it’s done in a way that’s not hard for young people to understand, but it doesn’t make them feel stupid in the slightest. Any book series that can do this deserves to be praised for all time, or at the very least respected.
9) A Million Little Bricks
I only discovered this book late last year (I believe it was October when I saw it), and I got it for Christmas a little later. Part history guide, part picture gallery, and part resource material are all within this book. But what exactly is this manuscript, you might ask?
Well, this book is an unofficial history of the Lego Group. From it’s humble origins as a small collection of wooden toy makers, to the titans of plastic know around the work, A Million Little Bricks talks about the history of Legos, from beginning to end (2011, to be specific), and along the way they show pictures of the original wooden toys they made, to Lego sets both old & new. There’s also segments where they talk about the many individuals of the Lego Group that have worked within the company, and the contributions that they brought to the table.
I can only smile when I read this. When I look at the picture, I always try to see which sets I have, and which sets I’ve only seen. Even when there weren’t any pictures, I always looked through the book to find sets (Or various builds of sets) that I own. It is for the reasons of pure nostalgia that A Million Little Bricks takes a spot on this list.
8) Chobits
I don’t have much in the way of manga. All I have is this series, the number 6 & number 5 spot, two volumes of the original Tenchi Muyo manga, a small handful of free manga from Genericon 2013, and the first volume of With the Light: Raising an Autistic Child, which is a unique series in it’s own right. What gets Chobits onto this list A: that I got all of it in one fell swoop at Genericon 2012 (It was kinda expensive, but worth it at the same time) and B: the theme of the manga.
Without delving heavily into the thick of it (Click on “***” to read my review on the Chobits series, where you’ll also find a description of the story), the theme of Chobits is man’s desire (Some would say obsession) for technology, and just how much closer we are to becoming machines ourselves. It’s surprisingly deep & philosophical, and it’s an issue that’s becoming more & more relevant in this age. To supplement this serious theme, there’s also plenty of moments for comedy, drama, and romance. The two sides never overwhelm each other, but they actually meld at numerous points throughout the manga, making for an enjoyable read.
7) Venus Illustrations: Satoshi Urushihara Illustrations
I have to laugh at this choice. When I first looked at the front cover, it appeared as though it was printed in the United States. English on the front, and English on the back. To my surprise, when I was flipping through the book, I noticed that all the wording, with a few exceptions, was entirely in German. It turns out that this collection of artwork was printed by a German comic company, and not in the United States. “Facepalm.”
In all seriousness, I’m not really complaining, because it’s the art that takes the center stage. If you remember from my Plastic Little review in late 2011, the first positive I said was that Satoshi Urushihara did the artwork in the show, and he does the artwork here. He really has a godlike grasp on drawing women: their faces look real, and their bodies are absolutely stunning. The man really knows how to draw breasts (You’d swear to god that the nipples were real), vaginas (Again, you’d swear that they’re real), and in a odd twist, pubic hair around the vagina (Yet again, the pubic hair practically looks real). The artwork is just stunning, and I seriously liked everything that was within the book.
Speaking of Satoshi Urushihara.....
6) Plastic Little: Captain’s Log
This manga is another example of Satoshi Urushihara’s godlike powers of drawing. The world looks great, the women look great, and even the men manage to look rather handsome. The story of Captain’s Log: Essentially, it’s an extension of the original Plastic Little OVA, but it’s not really connected with that movie’s story, save for a pinch of references. Instead, we’re given a series of stories, each of which focus on one of the main characters (Except for the black guy.....racism anyone?). In these little stories, we’re given more background on these characters, enough to the point that the reader understands them more than they did in the OVA. This isn’t a deep manga, but it’s a lot of fun to read.
5) Rosario + Vampire: Seasons 1 & 2
This manga series has been taking me quite a white to assemble. I started about mid-summer of 2009, and I got volume 10 in late 2012/early 2013. I’m pleasantly surprised by this series, especially considering that I wanted the anime first. Whereas the anime was portrayed more as a love comedy, filled with hordes of fanservice (In the first moments of the first episode, we get our first panty shot.....HOLY SHIT!!!), and characters that were shadows of those within the manga, the manga is more of a balance between romance, comedy, drama, action, and horror, it had fanservice that was more tame, and the characters had more to them than how they were portrayed in the anime.
If I had one complaint about the manga, it would be that it could get over the top at times (Not in a good way, mind you), and the romance aspect can get a little wishy-washy. Other than those two things, Rosario + Vampire the manga is loads of fun to read!
4) Dante’s Inferno
Much like the Satoshi Urushihara art collection, my acquisition of Dante’s Inferno was kinda funny.
Back in I think 2005, me and a (At the time) friend we watching a special on the History Channel about the interpretation of Hell throughout the cultures of the world. At one point, the special talks about Dante Alighieri, and his writing of the first part of the Divine Comedy. It went into some of his background, what he was thinking during the writing, and even goes into some of the circles of Hell. I was really interested in what I saw, so I asked my Mom if she could get me a copy, and a couple weeks later, she got me one.
Dante’s Inferno was a very intriguing read. It was written in a very poetic manner, enough to the point that it could get confusing if you don’t pay enough attention. Despite this, Dante’s Inferno creates a vivid, almost realistic description of the darkness below us. From the top to the bottom, we’re shows what’s in store for souls who’ve gone against the way of god. From windstorms that batter the lustful, to a river of boiling blood for those who’ve slaughtered the innocent, to a dark cavern where the traitors of the world are frozen for all eternity, Dante’s creates an unholy world, through which he travels to gain an understanding of evil, and to bear witness to famous souls who are being tortured for all eternity for their crimes on Earth. Vivid, evocative, and creative, Dante’s Inferno is a book for those who want to be entertained & enthralled.
3) Doctor Faustus
Like Dante’s Inferno, Faust was a book that I discovered during that History Channel special about Hell, only for some reason I’m not quite as sure about it. Regardless, Faust was one of those things that took me by surprise. For one thing, the copy I got (Also given to me by my Mom) was part play, and part historical analysis. The history side of the book went into the actual Faust that inspired the story, the playwright that created the theater show (Christopher Marlowe), and pieces of information that fell off the wayside. It was really interesting to read it all, because I only heard & saw snipbits of the history from the special.
The play is a different story (Pun not intentional). In the original stories, Faust was commonly portrayed as bored & power hungry, and when he gets what he wants from the Devil, he believes that the sins he indulges in can’t be redeemed, and thus is dragged to hell. In Marlowe’s play, Faust is still taken to the depths, but he’s portrayed more as a somewhat tragic figure when he gains his powers, almost to the point where you can actually sympathize with him. It’s interesting in how Marlowe keeps the core tenants of the original Faust story, yet at the same time puts enough of a twist to make things feel fresh.
2) The Polar Express
This is one of the oldest books on the list that I remember. For the longest time, I would read this every Christmas Eve with my parents. We would hunker down in bed, put the accompanying tape into the cassette player, and just read along with the tape. To top it all off, when time came to ring the silver bell that also came with the book, the little bell would be wrung. Although my family and I haven’t read the book since I think 2004, the innocent ringing of that bell still echoes in my head.
For anyone that didn’t read the book (Or didn’t watch the 3d movie), The Polar Express is about a young boy on Christmas Eve, who awakens to the sounds of a train outside his house. Curiosity causes him to rise from his bed, and hop onto the train. The boy meets many other kids about his age, who tell him that the train is headed to the North Pole, and that they’ll get the chance to see Santa Claus. I can’t reveal the rest of the story, but if you noticed anything in the above paragraph, you might get a clue or two.
My advice: get this book, and read it with your family!
1) Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
It’s really funny that I’m concluding this list with children’s books, but I’m being sincerely honest about what’s on this list. In fact, this was one of the first books I ever read when I was a kid. Ironically, my parents didn’t help me read much. I was almost always reading by myself, and they would only come in if I was having difficulty with saying a word.
So what about the story? Basically, the story was about the experiences of one of the author’s sons. To sum things up, the kid goes through the kind of Hell that kids around his age: getting picked on by his brothers, getting in trouble at school and at one of his parents’s jobs, and all other sorts of bad things. It gets so bad, the son wants to move to Australia to get away from all of his trouble. But right at the end, the mother comes to him, and basically says that “Everybody has bad days, even for people who live in Australia.” Just that one sentence makes me remember the entire book, and somehow, someway, I still hold onto the simple lessons it taught me when I was that age.
If you’re a parent, and you’re looking for a book to read with your children, then I sincerely recommend Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. You’re nuts if you don’t get this for your kids!
See you all next week. Until then, stay Otaku!
* If you would like to look at my past top 10 lists, click on the links below:
Top 10 Games: “***”
Top 10 Anime: “***”
Top 10 Movies & TV Shows: “***”
Top 10 Singers & Bands: “***”
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