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
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