Recap: Both of You, Dance Like You Want To Win!

Hello again. I am sorry I have not been able to write as many recaps as I'd like to

this year, but my family is in the process of moving and most of my time has been spent

packing. I've been wanting to do recaps of mecha anime for some time, and now I've finally

gotten a chance to.

Mecha anime. One of the genres that is deeply ingrained in the medium. Even in a market that is now full of simpler slice-of-life series, the mecha genre seems to be the genre

that is one of the most accessible and recognizable to western anime fans. The idea of giant

robots being part of the medium of anime has been around as early as the 1950s series

Gigantor, if not earlier than that. Even to people that have never watched an anime in their

life, someone in the room knows what a Gundam is because of how recognizable it is as part

of the mecha series (there is even a real Gundam statue that is 30 feet tall to commemorate

the 30^th anniversary of the franchise).

Even so, it wasn't always so ubiquitous. In fact, the original Mobile Suit Gundam series

was canceled after airing only 39 of its 52 intended episodes due to poor ratings; and a fan

campaign was able to get four more episodes made to wrap up the story. It wasn't until the

series did well in reruns that it became one of the anime series that is most deeply rooted

in both Japanese and Western anime fandom. In a sense, it became the Japanese equivalent

of Star Trek, which was canceled due to poor ratings but became a cultural phenomenon years

later and one of the most well-regarded franchises ever.

As more Gundam TV series and movies were made, it also became a merchandise goldmine; with every thing from action figures to model kits becoming big sellers (I have

a binder from Gundam Wing). By that proxy, most subsequent mecha series while also

merchandised aggressively.

So, I've definitely wanted to do recaps of mecha anime for some time, and now that time

is upon me. I've already done a recap of my favorite anime, Gurren Lagann; but I want to do

more mecha series. Which one have I chosen? Why, none other than the famed Studio Gainax

deconstruction of the genre, Neon Genesis Evangelion.

After the failure of Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water, Studio Gainax was in danger of

closing. On top of that, one of their founding members, Hideaki Anno, was suffering from

a serious case of depression because of the losses of Nadia. Even so, he was pressured by

his superiors to make another series. That series is Evangelion. It is a dramatic series, a 26- episode epic that is a look at how things would go if we really were invaded by aliens and

used giant robots to settle the conflict. The protagonist, Shinji Ikari, often feels down under

pressure, effectively mirroring Anno's feelings while working on the series. Because of

Anno's mood steadily declining, the series gets progressively darker as it goes on; with the

series finale movie, End of Evangelion, plunging full force into this.

 

With a series like this, what could I find in it to recap? Well, I did mention before that

anime tends to run on concentrated nonsense; and the mecha genre is a prime example of that.

I started watching the series again after I took a break from it; seeing if I could find an episode

that had material. Sure enough, I did. That episode is “Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win.” So, let's open it up.

The opening is “Young Boy, Become a Legend.” I have some of the best love for this theme song, as I explained in my top 13 anime openings. “Young Boy, Become a Legend” may

not be my favorite Studio Gainax theme, but it's up there.

 

We open on Shinji's school, with everyone in awe at the new student: Asuka. I may

have a preference of Rei, but I can say that Asuka is not without merit. It turns out she was

born in Japan, but raised in Germany. That explains a lot.

Anyway, two of Shinji's friends (I forget their names) are selling pictures of Asuka.

Nowadays, any teenager can snap a photo of a girl on their cell phone and put it on their Facebook page for nothing. Maybe it's just a hobby that's lost in translation with me.

Asuka greets Shinji with a “guten morgen” and asks why he's so gloomy. This is nothing. Given that this anime was directed by a man who was suffering from depression

at the time of production, things don't get gloomy until everybody's a puddle of orange juice.

 

Asuka goes over to Rei, my favorite girl in Evangelion, and introduces herself. She offers to make friends, since she's another EVA pilot. Rei agrees if it's necessary. Well, given

the reason I chose to recap this episode, I think it's very necessary to make friends with the

people you pilot giant robots to fight abominations with.

 

Back at NERV, the emergency alarm klaxon starts blaring. They receive word of an

attack from Battle Cruiser Haruna. An Angel appears from the Kii peninsula, and a first

stage alert is issued.

We then get our title card. Nice and simple characters on matte black.

It's like, how much more black could this be? The answer is none, none more black.

After the battle of the previous episode, which was Asuka's introduction; not much

of their defensive forces remain. Nevertheless, they decide to mobilize anyway. Offensive

capability is even worse, with chances slim to none of success. Yes, it's just another typical

day for NERV.

A command is issued to Shinji and Asuka to intercept the Angel en route, taking turns

to attack while evading the enemy attacks.

Asuka is dismayed that she can't fight alone for her first battle in Japan, but Shinji

replies that it's standard procedure. Asuka fires back not to get in the way. As you can see,

Asuka's behavior is one of the reasons I decided to recap this episode, but it's not the only

reason.

 

Asuka turns off the communicator and wonders how Shinji became an EVA pilot.

Yeah, Rei almost got killed testing the prototype, so there's that.

Anyway, the EVA are deployed at the shore in order to intercept the Angel before it

reaches the waterfront. Asuka calls the use of two EVA on one Angel unfair, and her superior

tells her they have no choice. Your opponent has the capacity to turn the world into a charred,

radioactive husk, so I wouldn't call it a toss-up. The battle is in your favor with both of you

against the Angel, so why complain?

 

The Angel comes within range, and the fight begins. Asuka wants to lead, and Shinji

promptly calls her on her lack of combat experience as he fires at the Angel.

Asuka continues to charge in, even blocking Shinji's line of fire. Look, Asuka, this isn't

Virtual On. There are no continues and extra lives in war. You die, that's it. You don't come back

and your friends and loved ones can only mourn you. Is that how you want to be remembered?

She leaps off of a sunken building and slices the Angel in half with her lance. Wow. She

may be overzealous, but she's good behind the controls of a robot.

 

Even so, the two halves become separate bodies. This is why your CO said you need

to work together, you twit! Their CO is astonished, and it just uses a lens flare wipe back to

NERV as Shinji and Asuka watch a news report of the attack.

The images show that Shinji and Asuka got their asses handed to them by the Angel. You're going to see where I got the material for this recap soon. Naturally, Shinji and Asuka

start arguing over who's to blame for that petty excuse for a battle.

 

It seems the report was being shown in a private movie theater that NERV has. That's

nice. Even when the world goes kaput, the finest soldiers we have to offer still have

a place to watch Star Trek Into Darkness.

The report goes on to say that the task of defeating the Angel was then handed to

the United Nations; and they fared no better, if not worse than NERV, since the Angel is still

at large.

Another man, a Vice Commander in Gendo's employ, says that they need to work together to stop the Angel. Shinji and Asuka are, of course, less than pleased by this.

 

Misato, their CO, goes over requisitions for damage control on this embarrassment.

It's mentioned that the Vice Commander is not amused by what happened. I imagine neither

he, nor Gendo will like hearing about Pacific Rim, then. Dr. Akagi gives Misato a game plan

for Round 2. Misato then decides to get to work on implementing it.

Shinji arrives home to find that there are boxes everywhere, full of Asuka's possessions.

This is pretty funny, given that I'm still in the middle of moving and I could use a laugh like this.

 

That's not all. Asuka is there in a tank top and tight shorts, both parties being very

flustered at each other. She says that she's moving in, and laments how small Japanese houses

are. Hey, that's actually reasonable. Even with all the boxes of stuff, it's still bigger than my

bedroom right now.

So, as you can imagine, most of the material I got from this episode is from Shinji

and Asuka living together while training to fight the Angels again. It's silly, it's stupid, and it's

funnier than most sitcoms I've seen in recent years. Asuka is not happy that there's no privacy.

She says this after putting all of Shinji's belongings in a box; and you know, moving into his

house without so much as a phone call. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDrfHj3j398

Misato arrives to inform them of what they will do while they co-habitate: learn to

work together and fight the Angels, starting with the one that's causing so much grief.

Misato begins briefing them, saying they need to attack both bodies' cores at the same time

to take them out. How? They need to attack with their EVA in perfect time and sync.

In order to do this, she is having them live together. As I said, it's funnier than most

sitcoms today. For that matter, it's funnier than most anime that try to be intentionally funny.

Asuka whines that she doesn't want to do this; but Misato replies there's no time to argue

as the EVA will be operational again in six days. One last detail: the attack will be keyed to

music. So, ready or not, the next attack is in six days!

She's a maniac, maniac on the floor, and she's dancing like she's never danced before!

We skip ahead three days as Shinji's friends come to see him. Once again, I forget their

names. It's not that I'm not making an effort to learn them, it's just that if I don't see or hear

them often, I can't. They are aghast at the fact that not only are Shinji and Asuka living together,

but are wearing matching clothes and speaking in unison. Shinji and Asuka aren't too thrilled

either, blaming Misato for their predicament.

Things are about to get very silly. Here, look at this penguin.

 

Misato and Rei arrive to explain what's going on to their friends. Naturally, they're

discussing the whole thing over drinks.

Shinji and Asuka are playing a strange hybrid of Twister and Dance Dance Revolution

to learn the musical attack pattern. Just think: this will be in every arcade in the future! Nah,

people don't play video games to exercise! They'd go outside if they wanted to do that!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwjDELYIEmE

Shinji and Asuka are having trouble coordinating their attack, but Shinji and Rei are

on the same wavelength when Rei takes Asuka's place. Once again, Asuka is surprised.

Asuka goes to the pantry, angry at Shinji. Since I started moving, I've been making

similar trips to deal with the stress. Lots of fountain drinks and cream-filled oatmeal cookies.

With their snacks firmly in hand, they opt to keep at their training. Asuka says the

battle didn't just damage the EVA. It damaged her pride, and she wants to complete the

training to get it back. This whole scene plays like a commercial for sports drinks. 

 

With only two days left before the attack, Shinji and Asuka continue their training.

There's even a scene where they fight over what to watch on TV.

Wonder Years! Deep Space Nine! Wonder Years! Deep Space Nine!

Asuka is distraught that she has to sleep in a sleeping bag on the floor. I had to skip a

lot of this scene due to content Google won't let me show. In the middle of the night,

Shinji wakes to the alarm klaxon blaring again. I don't blame him, most of the work done

on this recap was when I couldn't sleep.

Asuka apparently sleepwalks, and she's now beside Shinji. As I said, I will have to move

on. Shinji also discovers Asuka talks in her sleep, and he decides to move to the floor.

The morning of the attack, Misato and Dr. Akagi chat over their morning coffee. As day

breaks, the UN and NERV mobilize again. The Angel appears over the horizon in Gora.

Misato gives Shinji and Asuka a run through of their training, to do it exactly as

rehearsed when the music starts. As the Angel comes within range, they only have 62 seconds

to take it out. The EVA launch, and the dance begins.

And... it's a thing of beauty. A choreographed dance battle with a pair of humongous

mecha. Every movement, every strike is wonderfully animated. It's stupid and stupendous at

the same time.

The Angel is defeated with the EVA intact. All of a sudden, I want to fund a stage

musical and dance production about giant robots.

Yet, even though they won, they're back to arguing. Oddly, there are landline phones in

the EVA, but it can also display holographs of the speaker on the other end. It was 1998, and

they were trying to predict the future. What more do you want? We end on one of the many

covers of “Fly Me to the Moon”, this time in a '90s samba style.

“Both of You, Dance Like You Want to Win” is a glorious example of how the mecha

genre is one of the predominant genres of anime to this day. The animation from Studio Gainax

is stellar as always, and the humor of Shinji and Asuka living together is hilarious. The next

mecha recap will be on another series that has crossed the zeitgeist to Americans. See you

space cowboy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NP8Sm2g5l_4

One Piece Comes to Toonami on May 18. We are on a cruise.

Hello again. Before you ask, yes, I am working on the next recap. I have the notes and screencaps taken for it, I just need to write it up in Open Office and post it. You can expect it within the next week.

The recap is on a mecha series, as is the next one, but I am still not saying which ones. I will however, share a bit more anime news.

I've mentioned in a couple posts how One Piece will be on the new Toonami soon. Well, now we have an airdate and a timeslot.

One Piece will air at 1:00A (Before Soul Eater, which will now be at 1:30A) starting on May 18. The series will start from episode 207 and will be running concurrently with the new dubbed episodes and simulcasts being held on Funimation's website on Saturdays.

I'm not sure if the uncut version which is on the DVDs and online will be able to be broadcast, but the show is airing in a decent timeslot. Late enough that most nonfans and moral guardians will be sleeping, but early enough that you don't necessarily have to set your DVR to not miss out.

As stated before, this means that the "Big 3" series will be airing on the same block (One Piece, Bleach, Naruto). There is some speculation that it may not work, given the series' rocky history in the US and the availability and ease of the simulcast. I believe, that with the state the world is in right now, we could use the optimism of One Piece as much as possible. So far, people seem to be warming up to Funimation's treatment of the series, which is far more faithful to Eiichiro Oda's vision.

As Saturday is one of the days I typically watch One Piece, this announcement is more than satisfactory. So come aboard, and bring along all your hopes and dreams. Together we will find everything that we're looking for. One Piece.

Recap: Cobra Strike

Hello again. It's been a solid while since I've done a recap, hasn't it? Well, I've been busy packing to move; and I will probably do so this week. I have the notes taken for the recap, but due to time constraints, I'm not going to be able to write up my recap in Open Office like I normally do. I'm going to copy and paste my notes on Blogger, and fill in the rest on my own.

So, what am I going to recap today? Well, with GI Joe Retaliation finally coming out after being delayed for several months; I've been feeling in kind of a GI Joe mood. It just so happens that there is a GI Joe anime that aired a while back. It is GI Joe Sigma Six, a series produced by anime studio Gonzo; commissioned by Hasbro to sell the incarnation of the GI Joe action figure line of the same name.

As I remember, it's not very good, and with this in mind, you're in for a big rant today. So let's open up "Cobra Strike" and see just how useful knowing about this anime will be in battle.

Crappy anime at five clicks!

We open on the North Pole. So, they were ruining this location even before GI Joe The Rise of Cobra.

22 seconds in, and we get mecha. And no, Gonzo doesn't work the same magic they do with Full Metal Panic in combining mecha and paramilitary combat.




Also, the CGI is just trash. We're talking Asylum levels here.

The mecha are from Cobra. This is almost as asinine as the nanomite solution from GI Joe The Rise of Cobra. Sorry, I'm going to keep my hatred for that movie at a minimum, and focus on this anime.

Now, here comes the theme song. The original theme song is a classic, and I'm posting a link of it to prove it. Now, let's hear a memory that I very carefully blocked out and has since been dredged up.



Stop Cobra Stop Cobra Stop Cobra! The narration manages to butcher the credo of the team in the first few seconds. Somebody should have given the editor/lyricist some Ritalin.

The tune is full of quiet-loud-quiet-loud bleating, and the imagery is full of rough cuts and staggered edits.

You know, this came out at a time when GI Joe was losing ground to stuff like Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh. If they were trying to commission an anime to horn in on that market, this was NOT the way to accomplish it!

Bleugh. This is an even worse theme song and opening than Mega Man NT Warrior. And that is saying something.





We start off with Duke and Scarlett in snowmobile-tanks and-

*piff* (bursts out laughing) Oh my! And I thought the CGI texture work and ice physics in Rise of Cobra were bad! OK, I'm not going to make any more Rise of Cobra jokes; but for the record, I'm going to keep track of how many Rise of Cobra jokes I could have made.

We get some exposition from Duke about how they captured Cobra Commander last month, and have been training since then. So, bad animation, bad music, and bad writing. We're only 2 and a half minutes in, folks. Not too late to change the channel.

By the way, you can't see this from the screencaps, but there's been a ludicrous amount of shaky cam in this anime. You know, that technique that looks like the scene is shot with a handheld camcorder that's been in most action movies made since Armageddon? If they're trying to use these tactics to get kids to like GI Joe again, it's not working.

We also get Scarlett, and boy is she disappointing. She doesn't even have the right shade of red in her hair, but I guess "Strawberry Blonde" wouldn't have sold as many toys.





Snake Eyes, so far, is the only one that's really been represented well, which isn't surprising as he was one of the first Western interpretations of ninjas. The way he's slicing up these Cobra mecha is one of the few good things about this anime.

Oh, and apparently he has a couple apprentices, Jinx and Kanekura.

Our next operative is Long Range. What's up with him? He looks like a mixture of Dan Hibiki and Tamaki from Deadman Wonderland! You know, there's a line between bishonen and unsightly vile. Thankfully, Long Range is nowhere near that line, he's just unsightly vile.

Now we're in the Amazon? And the exposition is still going? Hey, they're called "transitions." Use them!

Anyway, we get Heavy Duty, who's part of the Joes' Amazon base, in charge of supply caches.

Duke remarks he's strong as an elephant. He also looks like one, given that his features are warped to David Lynch proportions.

Tunnel Rat. Demolitions expert. Too bad he's not as worth having in your collection as Firefly or Stalker.

High Tech is in command of their base in Arizona. Yet, I just don't find him as appealing a techie as Breaker.

So, that was almost 4 minutes of exposition. Somethings that I decided not to screencap from it include Heavy Duty getting scared by a mouse (Rise of Cobra Jokes I could have made: 1) and Tunnel Rat eating a cockroach. Little side note: this incarnation of GI Joe was canceled due to poor ratings; even though toy sales were relatively decent. (Rise of Cobra Jokes I could have made: 2)


Oh, by Roshi's beard, he's still going! He's still spouting off exposition! The only diegetic dialogue we've had so far is from a damn computer! Get on with it!


So, now we arrive at Cobra's base. As per usual, it's typical cartoon supervillain architecture of a giant cobra.

We see Destro and the Baroness playing chess. They seem to have retained their respective Scottish and Eastern European accents; as well as their relationship.

Still, we can't really see their faces that well because of the chessboard and other holographs. Given how the anime character designs aren't very good; this is a bonus.

Destro wins the game, represented by a barely-readable piece of Engrish saying "Destro's Win."

Ho boy, what is Baroness wearing? Why aren't there any sleeves on her suit? Why is she wearing Freddy Kruger claws for gloves? Five minutes in. This episode is 21 minutes long. Expect a lot of asking questions like that in this recap.

Anyway, she summons the Cobra Vipers to strike on the other bases. We are then treated to a rather supple bust shot. Least we can have her sex appeal and entertain someone, and I say that as a guy who got really angry over Tamaki's misogynistic treatment of Haruhi.

Thank heaven for small favors.

Back in the Amazon, Tunnel Rat flops over a chair, and Heavy Duty tells him to get back to work. The dialogue here is rather...Bay-like.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H15TT8CKltM


The way Tunnel Rat complains... he's definitely the character that I really don't like in this anime. Even though Heavy Duty looks worse than Birdie and he speaks like John Coffey after his fifth absorption of burden; he's still a relatively decent character. Most GI Joe collections have figures that usually are sucky members. Usually, you only own them because they came with a vehicle or had a weapon you wanted.

Hey, doors don't open like that. There's a number. HE'S IN THE HALL!

As Tunnel Rat continues to whine, Heavy Duty just shoves him back into work. I could honestly watch that for a loop of 15 minutes.

Tunnel Rat opens the door to get the rest of their equipment, and in comes a wave of badly-composited Cobra mecha. Seriously, Joel, Mike, Servo, and Crow would have a field day with this.

A typical reaction from anyone who sees this anime.

Here's a charming sight- one of the mecha is pointing its gun right at the screen. Good job, scare the kids into keeping it on this waste of animation!

They left their weapons outside. They're part of GI Joe, one of the most well-known paramilitary forces in all of popular culture, and they left their weapons outside. If they're making stupid mistakes like this, I'd sooner trust Hogan's Heroes in combat then I would these ass clowns!

Enter Storm Shadow back at the North Pole. He is Snake Eyes rival, as they trained under the same sensei. In some stories, because their sensei favored Snake Eyes instead of him, Storm Shadow betrayed and murdered their sensei; which led to Snake Eyes taking a vow of silence.

While Snake Eyes takes on Storm Shadow, Jinx and Kanekura try to evade more Cobra mecha. The action here is clumsy and badly-edited. I haven't been this close to motion sickness from a movie or TV show since Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Same deal of bad camera work and shots that last less than 5 seconds.

They have wrist lasers to deal with the mecha. ... Somebody call my therapist.



Yet, they just keep sending more mecha after them. It's turned into a bloody video game!

Naturally, Duke and Scarlett plow through the mecha with their snowmobile-tanks; and Storm Shadow makes a dry comment and slips away. Looks like my statement of this anime turning into a video game is correct. All that's missing is my brother's Xbox controller.


Back in the Amazon, Heavy Duty and Tunnel Rat are cornered. Tunnel Rat decides to sacrifice their supplies by tossing a handful of grenades at the mecha, and then they dive away from the explosion. Yep, this is slowly but surely turning into a game of Metal Slug. (Rise of Cobra Jokes I could have made: 3)

So, Cobra has a castle in the arctic.

The castle is firing at them. I am seriously running out of things to say about this anime, and I'm not even halfway through. (Rise of Cobra jokes I could have made: 4)

Duke calls in Long Range for backup. He barrels in with an armored Humvee. As I said, some GI Joe figures are only in a person's collection because they were packed with a vehicle.

OK, just because you can use CGI for battles, doesn't mean you should. (Rise of Cobra Jokes I could have made: 5)

Another thing, the voice acting is horrid. The lines are delivered with a mess of different accents and makes it so the voice "acting" is anything but. Was there valium in the water in the recording studio?

Heavy Duty berates Tunnel Rat for taking out their supplies, and Tunnel Rat makes another quip as he eats a worm. Oh, that's wonderful. You're making Tommy Chong's food look like gourmet cooking.

Duke contacts High Tech to get a schematic of Cobra's base. I'm still wishing they could have had Breaker in this role. (Rise of Cobra jokes I could have made: 6)


Oh, the truck is called the Rhino. That name was inherited from sister series MASK, which was acquired by Hasbro when they bought out Kenner in the early 1990s.

True to its namesake, the Rhino is a truck that turns into a helicopter.

As Scarlett flies the helicopter toward the base, I remain adamant in my belief that this episode was a starting point for a GI Joe Sigma Six video game that was ultimately never released.

Naturally, we have even more Cobra mecha, but these are black instead of blue.

Scarlett handily dispatches the mecha, and begins attacking the base. (Rise of Cobra jokes I could have made: 7)

Long Range decides to put the pedal to the metal so they can shut off the base's shield from the inside, and it naturally has an unnecessarily slow-moving door.

Duke has a mecha too? I get the feeling this was also a concept for a revival of Transformers Vs. GI Joe, but it never came to fruition. It could also be said that the military becoming the main humans in Transformers 4 may also be the seed of a Transformers Vs. GI Joe movie; but I daresay I'm getting ahead of myself.

Duke storms into Destro and Baroness' chamber, brandishing his sidearm. 14 minutes in; I'm not getting that back.

t turns out that they were only holographs, and Duke asks High Tech to run some "searchware." There's no such thing as "searchware."

Then, wouldn't you know it, Cobra's base is collapsing, and the voiceover work is truly atrocious.

Scarlett thinks the tower is on fire. No it isn't, it's collapsing. Structurally unsound. It's coming down anyway.




Snake Eyes, Jinx, and Kanekura come in and slice apart more mecha. You see? That traditionally animated stuff is decent, why don't you put in more of that?

The tower is a rocket, and Scarlett delivers the line "Oh no! Duke is still inside that thing!" with the caliber of Tommy Wiseau.



Scarlett says that it's not a tower at all, it's a rocket. Everybody who doesn't have the observational skill of a floor lamp has already figured this out.

As if the rocket wasn't enough, it's rigged to blow up. It's clear that the situation has reached Joel Schumacher-level camp.

So, I'm not kidding, High Tech actually tries to decrypt the rocket so Scarlett can fire a cable onto it so Duke can escape. The Digimon movie's "Our War Game" segment didn't have this level of idiocy. I can't believe I actually said something positive about that movie.


This whole sequence was clearly conceived by people who don't know anything about hacking, much like the bulk of depictions of hacking in movies and on TV. Seto Kaiba's L33T HAXXOR skills were more believable than this.

Now we're on a skydive scene with little oxygen and no pressure suit. This is trying way too hard to be EXTREME! for the kids.

I don't believe this. Duke actually dove without a chute, and Scarlett actually flew the helicopter lower to catch up to him! This is going past anime ludicrousness and straight into the insanity of a Wile E. Coyote cartoon!

Despite the rapid drop in altitude, Scarlett manages to right the helicopter in a situation where it would have crashed and they would be GI Roadkill. All right. Cue the music.


Suddenly, the ice starts breaking. (Rise of Cobra jokes I could have made: 8)

The Cobra base is an aircraft carrier. I say just go with it, we've only got a minute left.

Back at HQ, Duke addresses the other Joes about Cobra's threat.

Well, now I know why I don't remember this anime. Frankly, I didn't want to remember this anime! I am honestly appalled that we as humanity could put such a blight on TV! And you know what? Years later, they put out a really good GI Joe show with anime influence, GI Joe Resolute!

"Cobra Strike" is definitely one of the worst episodes I've had to recap for this blog. Everything about it seems like it was just thrown together. The animation, the writing, the voice acting-it's easily the Ninja Turtles: Next Mutation of the franchise. I just hope that GI Joe Retaliation is better than this. I will not be doing another recap until after I move, which should be in mid-April. See you space cowboy.

Top 13 Anime Endings

Hello again. Earlier this month, I did a piece on the top 13 anime openings of mine. Now, I'm going to do one on my top 13 anime endings. Since I'm low on hard drive space, there will be no pictures this time. Here we go!

13. Trust Me (Durarara ending 1)

Durarara has been one of my favorite anime of recent years, and this ending theme exemplifies that. With a catchy rap tune and obligatory gratuitous English, this song is perfect to kick off the list.

12. Raspberry Heaven (Azumanga Daioh Ending)

I've talked about Azumanga Daioh a lot in some of my other blog entries, but it bears mentioning again for its ending. The show as a whole is a relaxing slice of life piece with some surreal elements, and the ending works in that way as well. I didn't really start listening to it until the second half of the series, and I was glad I did.

11. Dragon Ball Z Ending from Saiyaman Saga Onward

This was one of the first anime endings I listened to. Much like the opening to Trigun, it's essentially one continuous guitar riff, perfect for headbanging to.

10. Hamtaro Ending

This one is a bit more obscure. Even though Hamtaro was reasonably popular when it first came out, it has since proven increasingly hard to find (part of the reason I have not yet done a recap of it). Out of the 296 episodes, only 104 got dubbed in English, and only 9 got released on VHS and DVD. Still, the ending is light and bubbly, perfect to kick off the top 10.

9. Nichijou Ending 1

I like Nichijou very much. It is among my favorite slice of life series, and it produced some very catchy songs. This first ending theme is another soothing piece, played in different tempos and musical styles each time it appears. While the second ending is good to, the first ending will remain a favorite of mine for some time.

8. I Love You, I Love You Baby (Binbogami Ga! Ending)

The ending to Binbogami Ga! is another piece full of gratuitous English and a key piece of bubbly J-pop. I have talked about the series before in some of my other posts, so this ending is in my head consistently.

7. Soul Eater Ending 1

I've been really into Soul Eater since 2011, and this first ending theme proves to be a great measure of alternative rock. With a mild hook and transition into quiet-loud-quiet-loud rocking; it is a nice ending for the first quarter of the show.


6. Pokérap (Pokémon)

This was the very first anime ending I ever saw, and it remains in my head to this day. I can often sing it a cappella, and I'm not afraid of the looks I get when I sing it on the bus on my iPod (I've built up an image of being weird, and I seek to maintain it). It captures the absolute joy that is Pokémon to me.

5. Party Party, Join Us Join Us (Shin Chan)

Rounding out the top 5, the reason why I chose this ending is because it has not only a catchy tune, but imagery to make it look like a more innocent show than it really is (save for a shot of Shin's rear). I haven't seen the Japanese version, but Funimation's gag dub has effectively turned it into a Japanese version of South Park; with its cutesy art style being offset by a stream of vulgarities and cynical social commentary and pop culture references.

4. Mystic Eyes (The Vision of Escaflowne)

I have a grand appreciation for Escaflowne, which is why I included the ending theme. It is a great example of 1996-era J-pop, and a massive earworm at that. The way the singer sings and the gratuitous English of the theme song really packs a punch; and another part of the broad appeal Escaflowne has.

3. Underground (Gurren Lagann Ending 1)

I have talked about Gurren Lagann so much, so I'm going to keep my thoughts on the first ending brief. High Voltage crafted a rockin' theme song for the first part of the series that is yet another ear worm for me. While the second ending, "Minna No Peace" is all right, the first ending will be better this way for me.

2. Fly Me To The Moon (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

This is one of the few theme songs that existed before the anime it was used in came out. Each time it's used in Evangelion, it's done in a different musical style and by a different singer. I have to admire that, and it's one of the great touches in one of Gainax's finest works.

1. Run, Run, Run! (One Piece Ending 2)

This is my favorite anime ending. There have been 9 endings so far at the point I've reached in One Piece (I've just started the Skypiea arc); and this is one that I feel captures the optimism and wonder of the series best. On top of that, every time I listen to it, every time it's in my head, it cheers me up no matter how bad I feel.

So that's the top 13 anime endings. I am watching the Daicon openings, so after that, I'm going to start work on the next recap. Of what it will be on, let's just say that it's the land of the rising sun's take on a real American hero. See you space cowboy.

Top 13 Anime Openings

Hello again. Well, I'm still in the process of moving; so I've been busy with things other than this blog. I have found time to watch anime, and this whole situation has made me more willing to listen to the theme songs of it. So, this post and the next one are going to be on anime theme songs. This first one will be on the openings, the next one will be on the endings. So, let's get started.

13. Towards The Light (One Piece Opening 3)

I tend to watch One Piece on Fridays and Saturdays; and I have expanded to Thursdays given this whole situation this month. There have been three opening themes so far at the point I'm in; and this one has to be my favorite. It has done the best job of capturing the optimism and wonder of One Piece, with a bubbly and light tune. It is a perfect song to kick off this list.

12. No Need to Promise (The Vision of Escaflowne)

Of some of the series that I've picked up, Escaflowne has been regarded as a classic; and for good reason. It may be a shojo piece, but it manages to combine elements of romance, fantasy, science fiction, and drama in one series; giving it a very broad appeal. The theme song is a heartfelt and refreshing opening that manages to convey the tone of the series well, and makes me glad every time I listen to it.

11. Digimon Theme

The original Digimon theme is one of the themes I remember growing up. I can say it still holds up today. With its raw and scratchy electroclash, this was the anime theme song that signaled the end of the '90s and the beginning of the 2000s. More than adequate for this spot.

10. Rock The Dragon (Dragon Ball Z)

I was about 8 when the Dragon Ball Z craze was in full swing, so I would naturally have this theme song on my list. While "Cha-La Head-Cha-La" does have merit (I mostly know it from being the opening Team Four Star uses); this song really fits the intense action of the show more. "Dragon Soul" of Dragon Ball Z Kai is decent, but it doesn't really match the testosterone-laden heavy metal style of this song. That's why I'm using it for the 10 spot on my list.


9. Go Speed Racer Go

I tend to be using a lot of common anime theme songs in this list, but that's mostly because anime tends to be such a divisive medium among Americans that it's to this day, a niche market. Even so, there are times when a show becomes a hit in the vein of Star Wars or The Avengers; becoming a zeitgeist-crossing institution in America. Speed Racer is, for better or worse, one such anime. This catchy theme song exemplifies that. While the original Japanese theme song for "Mach Go Go" (the Japanese version of Speed Racer) was airy, this song was recorded in the middle of when bands such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were making inroads in the 1960s. It is such an earworm to this day, that every time a new Speed Racer adaptation is made (such as the 2008 film adaptation by the Wachowskis), a new version is recorded to match the musical style that's popular when the adaptation comes out. It is such an enduring song that I'm including here.

8. Bleach Opening 2 (Afterlife)

I've had a rather interesting experience with Bleach. While the anime is over in Japan (the remaining episodes are still being dubbed), the manga is continuing, and it's gotten a wedge driven between its fandom due to the many filler arcs in it. I personally consider filler to be a necessary evil in anime; and I like the show even as others abandon it. The opening I'm using is from the arc that truly got me into the show, The Entry/The Rescue. It had some of the best fights and situations of the show; and one of the catchiest openings to go with it. The first Bleach opening was a light pop song that was wholly inappropriate for this type of show; while the second had an orchestral/rock fusion in the vein of bands like Yes. It remains my favorite opening for how far I've gotten (I'm almost done with the Bount arc); none has topped it so far.

7. Young Boy, Become A Legend (Neon Genesis Evangelion)

This theme song is one of my favorite Studio Gainax themes; taken from Evangelion, their famed deconstruction of the mecha genre. Its imagery and tune will be in your head for some time if you elect to watch it. It has been parodied and homaged by an innumerable number of fans and often comes up in classes about Japanese culture on college campuses.

6. Fancy Hearing Cake (Azumanga Daioh)

The theme song to the first and one of the best slice of life anime I watched, "Fancy Hearing Cake" is a whimsical tune that earns its place among the other earworms on this list. The lyrics and imagery of this song don't make a lick of sense, but they don't have to. The song is perfect to open the adventures of Chiyo and her high school class.

5. Pokémon Theme

In the 16 years Pokémon has been running, there have been many theme songs to it, and this one that was in the first season remains the best. It manages to quickly affirm what the show is about and state its goal. The way they do this is through one of the catchiest theme songs of any TV show. I assure that if you've heard it at least once, you'll probably never be able to get it out of your head for the rest of your life. It is that good.

4. Cowboy Bebop Theme

The theme to Cowboy Bebop is-what else?-a jazzy piece of Bebop that sets the noirish tone for the show. Cowboy Bebop is among my favorite anime from Toonami/early Adult Swim; so it's natural that this theme stuck out at me.

3. Trigun Theme

Naturally, Trigun is also among my favorites from that era, as a companion piece to Cowboy Bebop, so its theme song goes here as well. It's essentially one continuous guitar riff; so feel free to commence headbanging.

2. Sorairo Days (Gurren Lagann)

This is my favorite Studio Gainax opening. As I've said before, if Evangelion is the cynical side of Mecha, then Gurren Lagann is the optimistic side. This song is a prime example of that, going throughout the entire 26-episode run of the show; showcasing Simon's journey throughout the whole thing.

1. Remote Perception (Code Geass Opening 2)

Now, my favorite anime theme song must come as a surprise to all of you. I actually didn't like the first Code Geass opening. It just sounded like elevator music to me. This opening, however, had a gritty four-chord guitar hook and a scratchy and raw punk sound to it. It is still in my head to this day, since I first heard it in 2011. That is why it's my favorite anime theme song.

So, there's the anime openings. Join me next time for my favorite anime endings. See you space cowboy.

One Piece to air on Toonami. Set sail for adventure and fun. Also, Evangelion 1.11 and TOM redesign.

Hello again. I just thought I'd share this piece of anime news, because it quite literally came up about 5 minutes ago.

I have just found out via Anime News Network that One Piece is scheduled to air on Toonami later this year. The series previously ran on the block from 2007-2008, and has since been simulcasting Japanese subtitled episodes on Funimation's website since 2009; with dubbed episodes typically premiering on Fridays and Saturdays.

This means several things. First off, it means that the "big 3" series are airing together on the same block. Second, it means that the version they air will most likely be the uncut version (the version you watch on Funimation's website and on the DVD sets). Third, it means that the series has another chance of crossing over with the anime fandom. While the 4Kids dub may live in infamy among fans (I personally see it as part of the reason why the company is no longer in business); the Funimation dub and the manga have helped it recover. Putting the series on Toonami will help it connect with new audiences as well as existing ones.

Another thing, Evangelion 1.11: You Are (Not) Alone is planned to air from 1-3:30A, and TOM is scheduled to be redesigned. I have gotten a bit further in Evangelion, and am wondering what the new TOM will look like.

That will be all for now. I'm still working on moving, so I probably won't write another recap until later this month. I will do some top 13 lists, though. Until then, I leave you with the opening theme for how far I've gotten in the series.