Hello again. I know I am working on my From Humble Beginnings Marathon; but I have not been feeling well and I am working on going back to school. I have my recap of "And So it Begins" written; but I am behind on posting it. I still intend to finish my marathon, then do some Halloween-related recaps.
So, to tide you over, here is a little bit of anime news. It seems that Pokémon Origins is being dubbed, and will be streaming on the Pokémon TV website on November 15. I saw the raw version of the special not too long ago; and I really enjoyed it. I really liked the impressive animation, the darker storyline, and the distinct take on the franchise. I'm personally not looking at it as a replacement for the main anime; but as an alternative and a different way of looking at it. I'm taking film studies this term, and one of the first things we discussed is how different directors and time periods handle adaptations. I do not approach the current Pokémon anime with Ash and Pikachu the same way I would Gurren Lagann or One Piece. Part of the reason I started this blog was to counter the criticism against the show and its characters; as most of the disparaging of it comes from mocking it for lacking qualities the creators didn't intend for them to have. I am not going to take Origins as a way to disown the existing anime. Rather, I intend to analyze both the strong and weak points of all their stories and characters. Until others are ready to do the same, I will probably be staying off Kotaku for a while; at least until the initial excitement passes.
Elsewhere, the anime series FLCL (pronounced Fooly Cooly) is returning to Toonami. This is an anime I really enjoy; and the higher-ups at Cartoon Network in charge of the Adult Swim face of the network even said it was their favorite even in the face of the medium having less screen time in recent years.
The series was produced in 1999 by Studio Gainax, as a way to unwind from their work on Neon Genesis Evangelion. It is only 6 episodes long, but they are some of the best-written and best-animated 6 episodes I have seen. It tells the story of 12-year-old Naota (Barbara Goodson, Rita on "Power Rangers"); who has a very sardonic attitude towards life in his small town. He lives in a small shop run by his father and grandfather; and his mood is not helped by the fact that his mother is away on business and his older brother left for America to play baseball. One day, a young woman named Haruko comes in on a Vespa and hits him with her guitar. What follows is a very surreal coming-of-age story set to the music of the Pillows. It is a wonderful series that I would recommend.
With this, I shall get to work on posting my recap of "And So it Begins." In the meantime, I leave you with a fantastic song that has been in my head for some time after hearing the news of FLCL coming back. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zm3eAWU6gE&noredirect=1
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