Hello again. Well, it turns out it's taking longer than I thought to get my computer charger replaced, so I've had a setback in posting more recaps. So, I thought I would post an anime I'm currently watching to give you something.
Astro Boy (1963)
Osamu Tezuka's classic, one of the first series to crossover into the west. To this day, Astro remains an icon in the eyes of both Japanese and Western anime fans. While the animation and voice acting have aged, the story remains very satisfying and the characters likable. I intend to do a recap of the first episode for my From Humble Beginnings series to see what the medium was like in that time period.
Pokemon on Hulu
While it's a given that I am a big fan of the series, this development crosses over with a tinge of anime news. It seems Pokemon Origins and the first 5 episodes of Diamond and Pearl are on Hulu; which is one of my preferred sites for watching anime as well as YouTube when I don't have DVDs handy. There is a contingency for more of the 800+ episodes and the movies. The bulk of them will be on Hulu Plus, but I shall take advantage of the ones available for nothing on the main site. I am glad that the Pokemon Company is working on making a media convergence for the fanbase reaching their teens and 20s, as well as to crossover with new ones.
One Piece
Yep, it's Friday, and that means One Piece day. I'm rewatching the Oceans' Dream arc on Hulu, since most of the Water 7 arc hasn't been officially put online yet and I'm waiting for the big DVD sets (26 episodes a piece as opposed to 13 for the smaller ones) to come out before I order them. It's a good refresher of the events up to that point; as well as having key events for the Straw Hats reanimated to match the digital coloring (prior to that, the series used traditional animation). It's also a good launching-on point for fans watching on the new Toonami who have cable or satellite, but not internet access.
Toriko
This will be the last one I shall talk about before I post this and head to reading. This is an anime about the eponymous hunter Toriko, who hunts food for gourmet restaurants with his bare hands. The first three episodes had some very satisfying adventures, and I would like to see more. I will get more into it in a first impressions post.
That will be all for now, I shall finish watching some of the stuff I mentioned here on other tabs before I head to reading. See you space cowboy.
Friday, January 31, 2014
Thursday, January 23, 2014
2014 Blog plans! They stay crunchy in milk!
Hello again, guys. Just dealing with starting school again. Reading has been surprisingly difficult; in addition to my computer charger breaking, meaning I will have to get a new one. Sorry.
So, let me share my plans for this year.
First, I will get to one of the recaps I wanted to do in 2013, but couldn't. I will do a recap of my favorite episode of Soul Eater, "The Ultimate Paper Test", to ring in the new term. I had the screencaps taken before my charger broke; so I hope to get the recap written and posted before the month is out.
Second, I will be doing a recap of the first episode of Eyeshield 21 for the Super Bowl next month, kicking off, as it were, my plans to look at some sports anime series and episodes (I will do more when the Sochi Winter Olympics take place).
Third, I will start covering some One Piece episodes. I will be doing spotlights of the character introductions up to Water 7 to get a feel for how the dynamic works; leading up to a marathon of the Davy Back Fight/Long Ring Long Island arc, which has the most material.
Lastly, among other Pokemon episodes, I will be doing recaps of the feature-length pilot of Transformers Armada when Transformers: Age of Extinction comes out, the first episode of the X-Men anime when X-Men: Days of Future Past comes out, and recaps of my favorite episodes of Cowboy Bebop and Kill la Kill. You will have to wait and see what they are.
All this and more is in store for this year. See you space cowboy.
So, let me share my plans for this year.
First, I will get to one of the recaps I wanted to do in 2013, but couldn't. I will do a recap of my favorite episode of Soul Eater, "The Ultimate Paper Test", to ring in the new term. I had the screencaps taken before my charger broke; so I hope to get the recap written and posted before the month is out.
Second, I will be doing a recap of the first episode of Eyeshield 21 for the Super Bowl next month, kicking off, as it were, my plans to look at some sports anime series and episodes (I will do more when the Sochi Winter Olympics take place).
Third, I will start covering some One Piece episodes. I will be doing spotlights of the character introductions up to Water 7 to get a feel for how the dynamic works; leading up to a marathon of the Davy Back Fight/Long Ring Long Island arc, which has the most material.
Lastly, among other Pokemon episodes, I will be doing recaps of the feature-length pilot of Transformers Armada when Transformers: Age of Extinction comes out, the first episode of the X-Men anime when X-Men: Days of Future Past comes out, and recaps of my favorite episodes of Cowboy Bebop and Kill la Kill. You will have to wait and see what they are.
All this and more is in store for this year. See you space cowboy.
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Space Dandy First Impressions, and General Goings-On.
Hello, and welcome to 2014. I have been trying my best to cobble together a recap as well as watch some of my targets for them this year, but reading has been surprisingly busy. Another year has passed. Much more has happened in anime. There have been many series come and gone, including re-imaginings of old favorites and great newcomers. Hayao Miyazaki is retiring, with his final film, The Wind Rises, scheduled to be released in the US this year (I plan to go see it in the theater). The people from Studio Gainax have formed a new studio, Trigger, and their first major project, Kill la Kill; is the ideal successor to my favorite anime, Gurren Lagann. And yes, I still make time for my weekly new episodes of Pokémon and One Piece.
Even so, I have been experimenting with new series. One in particular caught my eye on a test run on the new Toonami: Space Dandy.
Helmed by gifted animator Shinichiro Watanabe, this science fiction comedy is similar to Cowboy Bebop in many respects (note: Cowboy Bebop is not on Toonami right now. It has been on and off the block since its inception; and I expect Williams Street will want to work out the rights again now that Funimation has gotten the license from the ashes of Bandai Entertainment's US branch); styling itself after many of the sci-fi anime of the 1970s. However, while Spike Spiegel is very down-to-earth and realistic, the eponymous Dandy is full of himself and parodic to the degree of Zapp Brannigan proportions. The only real similarity between the two is that they're hunting bounties to get their next meal.
He also favors a bar and grill known as "Boobies", and wants to visit every single one in the known universe; despite the dubious quality of their food and their waitresses of every known race and species.
Over the course of the first two episodes, Dandy comes across a Beetlejuician; who he dubs Meow for his catlike appearance. He also has a robot named QT, who is essentially C3P0 if he was not merely knowledgeable and whiny; but may even outright hate Dandy. He somehow survives a planet being destroyed by his own volition, but also sets out a new quest for phantom ramen.
So, as you can tell, the story is strange, but quite hilarious. I will have to see where it goes, but it looks to be very much an anti-Cowboy Bebop. The animation is very colorful and fluid; as per its director's credentials. I am also quite interested to see where this woman, Scarlett, in the second episode goes with the story. I just hope that nothing too bad happens.
I think I will try to finish taking the screencaps and write the recap for "The Ultimate Paper Test." Just something that will suit the mood. See you space cowboy.
Even so, I have been experimenting with new series. One in particular caught my eye on a test run on the new Toonami: Space Dandy.
Helmed by gifted animator Shinichiro Watanabe, this science fiction comedy is similar to Cowboy Bebop in many respects (note: Cowboy Bebop is not on Toonami right now. It has been on and off the block since its inception; and I expect Williams Street will want to work out the rights again now that Funimation has gotten the license from the ashes of Bandai Entertainment's US branch); styling itself after many of the sci-fi anime of the 1970s. However, while Spike Spiegel is very down-to-earth and realistic, the eponymous Dandy is full of himself and parodic to the degree of Zapp Brannigan proportions. The only real similarity between the two is that they're hunting bounties to get their next meal.
He also favors a bar and grill known as "Boobies", and wants to visit every single one in the known universe; despite the dubious quality of their food and their waitresses of every known race and species.
Over the course of the first two episodes, Dandy comes across a Beetlejuician; who he dubs Meow for his catlike appearance. He also has a robot named QT, who is essentially C3P0 if he was not merely knowledgeable and whiny; but may even outright hate Dandy. He somehow survives a planet being destroyed by his own volition, but also sets out a new quest for phantom ramen.
So, as you can tell, the story is strange, but quite hilarious. I will have to see where it goes, but it looks to be very much an anti-Cowboy Bebop. The animation is very colorful and fluid; as per its director's credentials. I am also quite interested to see where this woman, Scarlett, in the second episode goes with the story. I just hope that nothing too bad happens.
I think I will try to finish taking the screencaps and write the recap for "The Ultimate Paper Test." Just something that will suit the mood. See you space cowboy.
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