Recap: Count to Three

Hello again. This year has been particularly plagued by technical problems; chiefly pertaining to my internet connection; that have been keeping me from getting recaps done. My primary places I use the web are being upgraded, so that should help. Still, living in the area that I do and having such a lousy web connection are not helpful for me. So, I decided for my next recap that I would revisit an anime that is rife with technical problems.

That's right, it's time to revisit Den Tech City; a place that would make Google Plus seem like it was well thought out in design. Mega Man NT Warrior is still proving to be quite a goldmine for recaps. In our last episode: we had a slightly more plausible situation of traffic lights being hacked and a new character that could compete with Honey Boo Boo in terms of utter vapidity and spoiled behavior. She's still proving to be a royal pain even when she doesn't have bladder problems. So, let's open up "Count to Three." I only wish that the Count could help make this anime better, as it's still a prime example of Mega Man's perpetual unluckiness in animation.

We get our usual intro of Lan comparing the year 200X to living in a video game. With all the technical problems that time period has, he must be on Xbox One. Also,  Mega Man being in the new Super Smash Bros. means he will be joining my regular rotation in an instant. (As in, not Street Fighter X Tekken using the version from the original box art that looks like a guy who didn't have money for the good Power Rangers costumes shambling in front of a theme park attraction that appears to have been designed by Roger Dean, who painted the album covers for Yes). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Tdu4uKSZ3M&feature=kp


Then, we get our usual noisy, ugly, neon-filled theme song. I instead offer the multiple-Emmy award winning Daft Punk, with their hit single "Get Lucky".

 We open on a Net Battle, where Number Man is stalking another battler for rare battle chips. You'll have to forgive me for not remembering the opponent's name; I've put a lot more energy into studying for finals than I have this. 

Number Man then rolls the dice to attack his opponent, and apparently the power is linked to the number on the dice. So, he just used the Skull Dice card. Yet; I don't find his master as entertaining as Joey Wheeler; for many reasons which I'm about to get into.

We see the controller of the Net Navi; with the reflection of the Battle Chip on his glasses. This is supposed to be intimidating. I personally think bidding on scalped Wii U systems on eBay would be more entertaining to watch.

A successful snipe bid! Now onto that Mega Man Zero Figuarts!

We then cut to Lan whining about being late to school yet again. While I'm not a big fan of being late either; I'm even less a fan of Lan behaving this way. Mega Man even points out that it's his fault for Net Battling. I can still make the bus even if I get minimal amounts of rest for training my backups in Pokémon X and Y. Sometimes, I don't end up sleeping at all. I personally think Lan is worse at multitasking than Jaden Yuki, and he almost missed his duel exam because of staying up till 4AM watching videos on how to build a pancake helicopter.

 Naturally, he crashes into our villain and knocks over all his battle chips. I know this is written with a younger audience in mind; but I think even children have some sense of cohesive storytelling.

I had to sell a lot of Spider-Man comics and my mint condition USS Voyager to pay for these!

The villain berates Lan further for messing up the battle chips, given their value for rare ones. Well, with yet another eBay check, I can confirm that most of them go for about $5 a pop  for a lot, and there are seldom listings classified as uncommon, let alone rare. I can buy several other things I would be happier with for that money.

Oh look! It's not often you see the stupidest thing you've ever seen!

Of course, the teacher with the Princess Leia hair buns berates Lan for being late almost every day.

The class even indulges in the obligatory Charlie Brown laughter at Lan. I am so glad that Light Yagami put more stock in his education as well as his conquest. 

Deserved.

The guest speaker is also late, and it's a villain that is every bit as obvious as this universe's rendition of Dr. Wily as the Monarch from Venture Brothers.

The man, Mr. Higgsby, is assigned to give a lecture on computer viruses. Apart from how he dresses like a schlubby Agent Smith; I must once again reiterate that while learning how to protect against computer viruses is important; these kids are in elementary school. While I certainly knew about computer viruses then, I didn't actively take part in preventing their damage till I came of age and had a computer of my own. Given how much trouble Den Tech City gets into despite this, I put more stock in the Tandy Computer Wiz Kids. 

Anyway, Mr. Higgs Boson gives his lecture; which then devolves into a rant about rare battle chips and their power. This is downright daffy. Apart from being a more blatant product plug than Cheat Commandos, this is one instance where the scary shiny glasses ends up being unintentionally hilarious.http://www.homestarrunner.com/cheatcommando.html

Buy all our playsets and toys!

Seriously, the rant just gets more and more silly by the moment. It's supposed to be intimidating. I personally think Mr. Diggersby here looks about as threatening as Justin Bieber's mugshot.

I will mock his sad attempts at rebelliousness, but I will not justify his music.

The ranting attracts the attention of the gardener; who appears to have gotten lost on the way to the Leaf Village. Once again, it's not that I'm not trying to learn her name; it's just that if it's not said, I can't. Therefore, she will be referred to as the great prophet Whatsername until further notice. I will be looking her up and any other information pertaining to this series on Mega Man wiki for future recaps.

We cut to Yai's backyard, and she has a treehouse for everyone to hang out in. Even if the character leaves much to be desired; I think every child should have a treehouse of some kind.

Even though the place has a gourmet kitchen with a stocked fridge and range, it takes more to impress Dax than that. And I thought Porkins would like having a supply of Hot Pockets and Mountain Dew Voltage for marathons of Titanfall. (Note: Now that Titanfall has been released, that is a title I would consider getting an Xbox One for apart from Killer Instinct being packed in, with the DLC for my favorite characters out. The idea of a mecha game to fill the void left by Steel Battalion and Mech Warrior is thrilling to me, and even though Xbox Live is required; I gather the amount of online features and ease of use with the service is well worth the $60 a year.).

As if that's not enough, she presses a button that essentially turns the place into their own little command center. Floating head in a time warp and eccentric robot helper not included.


It does, however, have a holodeck of sorts to communicate with Mega Man, Guts Man, and the other Net Navis. While I am skeptical of the idea of virtual reality being resurrected in the form of the Oculus Rift; I would be ecstatic if there was a holodeck in our lifetime like many people are trying to work on. I just hope they fix those problems with the simulations going awry.

Glide is in control of the system as a sort of battle butler; keeping watch over everything. Personally, I'd feel safer with JARVIS in control. At least he's programmed with a sense of levity to match his service of genius billionaire playboy philanthropist Tony Stark. I plan to watch more of the Iron Man anime; but first I have one more recap I want to do of this before I decide on what to do next.

So, Yai and Lan decide to have a Net Battle to practice with some new battle chips; which of course, her dad bought for her. Somehow, I don't think Ayano Tech is appropriating their resources that well, as I shall explain further in the recap.

Number Man then makes a crack in the system as May Lu and Dax plug in. The background is apparently a bunch of sunflower seeds amongst a void of splattered paint. To think people say Bleach has lousy background design.

Ceiling Number Man is watching you plug in.

Yet, Mr. Jigglypuff still has his sights on the rare Battle Chips, which are in Yai's hands. I wonder what else he does to get those. Sell information to other hackers outside his apartment's doorstep?


The next day, Mr. Boss Hog goes to the homeroom teacher with the Leia buns about a more long-term stay. The faculty on Nichijou wasn't this dysfunctional; and I think I will need to watch more of that before I do the next recap of this.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Lan is once again late, this time to help with the school paper. Another case of how this anime and this iteration of Mega Man, while quite prescient about the idea of online gaming (the Net Navis seem reminiscent of Nintendo's Miis or Microsoft's Avatars); they were definitely caught by surprise of the rise of digital file transfers. Nowadays, Lan could write his contribution up in Open Office and the school would probably just edit any grammatical errors before going to press. Of course; he passes by the fish merchant; who chastises Lan for his forgetfulness that could be remedied with more fish. Yet, I think even the Swedish Chef was more convincing in his recipes and advice.


 

Just as well, as Dax, May Lu, Yai, and the teacher are locked in the classroom by Number Man. Another reason why I don't think making everything computer-connected is a good idea: what sane person would make all the doors and windows in an entire school campus electronic? My school email is so badly programmed that I ask my teachers to contact me on my personal email. When it became required for wi-fi login, the backlash was immediate and immense throughout the campus; not helped by Google Plus also being needed. Short of plugging your email into the base of your spine; I defy any way for Google to get more invasive.
 

 

 

The animation is still utterly abysmal for its time; now adding the cardinal sin of the facial expressions matching the voice acting in terms of dull surprise.

DULL SURPRISE!

When Dax tries to object to being held hostage, Number Man then activates the sprinklers. Now that's just wasteful. What if there was another fire in an electric range?

Yai is then challenged to a Net Battle for her Battle Chips. She is in as much disbelief as I am right now.

Layla! Darling, won't you ease my worried mind?

Even when she objects, Number Man just continues prattling on like the M5 Titan on valium.

This unit must survive.

Despite Yai's lack of battle experience, she is confident in her battle chips, as well as her expensive security system's reliability. That's interesting, because security software can be had that's just as good if not better for nothing; as most antivirus providers offer free version of their software, and malware and phishing protection come standard on most browsers nowadays. This is just becoming a bigger unintentional period piece with each episode, isn't it?

Yai just continues to act more and more indignant about the situation. Well, I just hope she doesn't have to use the bathroom like last time.

Shirley Temple, she is not.

She activates the cyber sword on Glide to lead.

Not as clumsy or random as a blaster, an elegant weapon of a more civilized age.

Naturally, she played right into Number Man's hands. Number Man then rolls his die again.

A two?! Well, at least your attack is halved!

Mega Man then enters the space to take on Number Man.

Mr. Biggles then chastises Mega Man and Lan for interfering, saying the test was for Yai alone. Then, why did you trap everyone in the room? For that matter, what's going on with the other students and faculty you trapped in their classrooms?

It turns out he's blocked Mega Man with a firewall, and the passwords are tied to-are you ready for this? The numbers of key items around the school.

I mean, apart from putting the school security in something that cryptic; the idea is downright nonsensical! What school administration would make their passwords like that? I know a password is meant to be something someone wouldn't be able to guess right away; but the school should still be able to have access with passwords that make sense from a security standpoint!

The first password is the number of doves in the school birdcage. ... Apart from that being an asinine choice for a password in itself, of course, the teacher doesn't know it.

Then, Mr. Piggly-Wiggly gives a terrible random Elvis impression. Better ones include Etemon in Digimon Adventure, Starmon in Digimon Fusion; and my personal favorite, the eponymous Bobo-bo Bobobo-bo, voiced by none other than RIchard Epcar, best known outside anime voice acting as Goldar from Power Rangers.

Lan then tries to count the doves, and loses count once they fly. ... Six! There are six doves in the cage! This isn't just my bad screencap, the shot is actually framed this way! It is a wonder how Brad Swaile once voiced a kid who can barely count to six before he became a man who is by far one of the most cunning villain protagonists in anime, and quite possibly in fiction!

The next password is tied to the amount of flowers planted on the school grounds. I could be watching Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood right now instead of this. I think I will indulge myself with that after I'm done, before I tackle the next one. I may need to rethink my plans for my next choice, as this situation is melting my brain.

With a roll of the dice at three; Glide is down. This is supposed to be intense, but I think this is as cheesy as a Starship video. 

Lan continues to count the flowers until he has a nervous breakdown. It is here I must point out that I have a low tolerance for characters who complain constantly when they are in a situation that isn't sound justification for their angst. There is no inherent reason for Lan to behave like this when he has a home and friends that care for him very much. Having been used to heroes with way more to overcome in their backgrounds (Shinji Ikari, Simon Giha, and now Ryuko Matoi; among others); Lan will receive no sympathy from me. Characters I witness have to earn it, and they can't do that without any redeeming qualities to endear them to the audience.

Then, the gardener Whatsername just gives him the number of flowers. Was this so hard? Perhaps you could have also asked the groundskeeper, if the school has one, about the right number of doves! Whatever the case, Lan now has what he needs to crack the firewalls and crack Number Man.

Now, Mega Man has Number Man at his blade, ready to force him to log out.

Angel, angel, what have I done? I've faced the quakes, the winds, the fire, I've conquered country crown and throne, why can't I cross this river?

The teacher then berates Mr. Bixby for what he's done, and says he could easily be arrested for this. Last I checked, computer-related crimes were federal offenses, meaning he'd probably get a very nice white-collar setup like the guys that crashed Enron.

Then, he starts flashing back to his first battle chip that he had as a child. Once again, you'll have to forgive me for my unfamiliarity with the Battle Network series. Most of my fandom comes from the classic series, the X series, and the Zero series; so I can't really work up a connection with this, even if I had seen it when I was younger.

Yet, he just starts pleading to be forgiven for his cyberterrorism. I think he's about as valid as Kimura from Azumanga Daioh, and he's INTENTIONALLY funny!

 Naturally we end back where we started, with Lan crashing into Mr. Wigglytuff at school. I know stock footage tends to be reused quite a bit, but it still proves how incredibly lacking the animation was compared to its contemporaries. Even though it made use of the same animation technology as its companions on Kids WB at the time, whereas Pokémon and Yu-Gi-Oh managed to take the wares given to them and bring all the locations and creatures of their franchises to life; Mega Man NT Warrior turned its accompanying games very sleek locations and characters into a garish mess that moved notably worse than their game representations.

He has opened a chip shop, as displayed in the same arial font I type with on my blog. Now I'm certain that he's probably going to start laundering money out of there.

To put the final icing on this turd, Mega Man then informs Lan that it's Saturday. Time to go back home, take off your shoes, make yourself something to eat; and go watch a better anime!



"Count to Three" is so hilariously bad that it continues the trend set by Mega Man NT Warrior as how it's a bigger technological trainwreck than Windows Vista! Especially given how the internet has not only made the anime fandom much more prominent in their like of the medium and ease of giving it good-natured ribbings in the tradition of Mystery Science Theater 3000 and Riffrax. If only Mr. Iggy Koopa knew his scheme would amount to nothing in 12 years, since the internet has become enraptured with such inexplicably popular fads such as "What Does the Fox Say" and Pokémon Twitch; both things people won't shut up about no matter how many times I tell them I don't give a care! Next time is another NT Warrior recap, that's even sillier! Don't miss it!

Anime News with a spring fresh scent!

Hello again, and it is now spring. I am working on a new recap of Mega Man NT Warrior, it's just that I'm having trouble posting it. So, I thought I would share some twinges of anime news.


First off, the English dub of the surprise smash Attack on Titan is premiering at Anime Boston this weekend. The clips Funimation posted on their YouTube channel sound all right in terms of voice acting and adapting the original script, which is what I hope to see in most dubs I watch. My early impressions on the series itself are positive, but I will have to see more before I write an article on my thoughts further.

Next, is some good news and bad news regarding Pokémon. First the bad news: Chaung Yi, a manga publisher who translated some of the manga that Viz handled (Special/Adventures, The Electric Tale of Pikachu) and some they did not (Ash and Pikachu, Pocket Monsters) is going through bankruptcy. Their assets are being liquidated to other publishers. In particular, Viz has pledged to handle their lapsed licenses in the US. I hope I can get some of those manga volumes as their stock is being sold.

Last, the good news: Pokémon is now on Netflix. Following up on the franchise being put on Hulu, the anime is on Netflix, with Indigo League and Black and White available to US streaming audiences, as well as the Victini movies. This a deal for me, as Netflix is one of my go-to sites for streaming anime. I had been considering starting my membership back up for quite a while, now I have the last motivation I need, along with the lost season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars and the Marvel Defenders series (not to mention Arrested Development).

That shall be all for now, now I shall try to get finished with posting the recap of "Count to Three."

Recap: The Man With the Lightspeed Legs

In honor of the Seahawks winning the Super Bowl, I now present my first recap of a purely sports-themed anime, Eyeshield 21!

We open on a football game with the eponymous Eyeshield 21 getting advice from the team captain, Hiruma; who looks like he'd be more at home in Hellsing than a lighthearted football anime. There is also Kurita, a tackle that looks like a cross between a chestnut and Zangief.

We see some fairly decent football action as Eyeshield 21 evades the opposing team towards the endzone. Which means now I can legitimately use this song!

The theme song is OK, but I don't think it suits the tone of this show. It feels more like a zippy commercial jingle than a motivational song for a football team. Thankfully, I can remedy this quite easily.

Naturally, we open proper on Eyeshield 21's true identity: Sena. Sena is trying to get into Demon High School; and is taking his entrance exam today. Well, that does explain Hiruma's presence. I can imagine they passed on Yusuke Urameshi for being too obscene for their standards.

He is greeted inside by Mamori, his...sister? Girlfriend? I don't know, they don't really explain too much about their relationship; but we'll get into what we know in a moment.

Naturally, he got in.



He is moved to tears of joy at this development. I can imagine this was what Warner Bros. executives were thinking at the success of The Lego Movie.

It's raining men! Hallelujah! It's raining men! Amen!

Naturally, we get a flashback that turns out that Mamori was his guardian from bullies that even Bulk and Skull would find too cartoonish for their tastes.

Yet, Mamori jostles Sena just as hard as the bullies, if not harder. This is what muddles things for their relationship. Maybe it's the way gender dynamics tend to be different in Japan, but somehow, that felt harder than the standard affectionate nudge. As long as she's not slipping him Mickey Finns like Yuno Gasai does. It's that type of behavior that makes me reluctant to continue Future Diary and more likely to believe that any backstory is fabricated by her insanity rather than genuine character motivation.

Naturally, Hiruma takes an opportunity to pounce. Despite the fact he's a more blatant demon analogue than the guys in the Home for Infinite Losers; I am actually finding Hiruma a more sympathetic character than Mamori. I shall elaborate further as the recap goes along; but first, a punk track signifying a high schooler that would model himself after Johnny Rotten.

Yet, even as Hiruma bares his teeth, he and Kurita bounce him in the air as if they just found the next Brett Favre or Peyton Manning. I think our boy from Lebanon may be it.


Sena is ecstatic at the fact he's being tossed in the air for the first time since he was a baby. Wow. This kid is making Dr. Doofenshmirtz look like he had a sweet deal.

Then, Hiruma offers him a phone to call his parents. Well, we know Mamori isn't his mother, but still; even when Hiruma tries to nice, he still looks like the snake-headed drug dealer in that freaky old PSA.

So, a typical NFL scout, in other words.

Yet, Mamori butts in about the situation. OK, here goes: this was not a good move for Mamori. She just burst in without any indication there was anything wrong. I know she might be used to this from the past, but Hiruma didn't actually do anything even though he looks like he would eat small children.

No, she just continues to prattle on, claiming Hiruma is like a demon. Well, you picked quite the school to make that observation! Here's another surprise: Vladimir Putin might have a few screws loose over Crimea!

She then says he'll drain the life from Sena till he's nothing but skin and bones.

He really IS like an NFL scout!

Sena goes home, and finds his mail slot crammed full of flyers for the school football team. And I thought Hogwarts was persistent in letter mailing.

Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?!

Then, he walks in the door of his apartment and finds his fax machine spewing out more flyers. Regarding this bit: while fax machines have largely been downplayed in the US in favor of e-mail attachments (save for a few businesses); they still get quite a bit of use in Japan. This also makes it somewhat harder for me to pinpoint the exact setting of the show even though it has reasonably modern production values (I'm taking an educated guess of the early to mid-2000s, given fashions and technology).

Naturally, Sena's first reaction is justifiably, "What the Hell is going on?!"

I ask myself that question whenever I watch Code Geass R2, Future Diary, IGPX, or Haruhi Suzumiya.

The first day of school comes, and to further my confusion over the time period; Sena's phone that was given as an admission present would probably look like it came from Goodwill to a viewer nowadays; given that phones can be had for a $10 spot at 7-Eleven in a pinch; and it's hard to find a carrier that doesn't offer smartphones capable of mobile web and playing Flappy Bird (though my next smartphone would be more for Sonic Dash and Grand Theft Auto San Andreas Anniversary).

Now I can participate in the Survival Games!

Sena starts walking to school, and Mamori then starts cleaning him up and telling him to make friends. This goes back to my belief of the character: Mamori's presence has been constantly keeping that from happening; due to the fact that she's smothering him to the point where even Minoru Shiraishi would draw the line.

Further evidenced by Mamori blaming Sena for submitting to those around him. If anything, Mamori has actually been more condescending and pushy towards Sena then the bullies who ostensibly serve to fulfill the standard clichés.

She then ends by contradicting herself, saying he needs to find his own strength and tells him to join a club right after that. She claims that he needs to find his own strength; but by doing all this for him, she has effectively stymied his independence and social life. Even Agnes Skinner wasn't this intrusive!

Anyway, Sena decides to look for a club. This is not only the anime fan in me talking, but also the student in me: I've never been a terribly big sports fan. Apart from anime club, my extracurriculars included FBLA, chess team, and retro gaming club. I fit the very definition of "white and nerdy;" as Weird Al would be able to vouch for. 



 So, as you can imagine; I set this goal to branch into this territory to approach it the best I can with my mindset; while laughing at Sena flashing back to playing peewee soccer and bouncing his shoe off his head.

This one image is more entertaining to me than Inazuma Eleven.

Anyway, English class starts.

And I'm an alcoholic.

Despite his rather stirring introduction, he still draws the attention of what appears to be some transfers from Cromartie High School. 

The day ends with Sena getting looks from the punks in the back. Oh, how I love this casual Japanese violation of space! Not since Kimura from Azumanga Daioh has uncomfortable school relationship been this hilarious! Tellingly, the US can't do this unless Chris Hansen from Dateline NBC shows up.

I need an adult!

Each punk looks more threatening than the last, and they're still less invasive than Hiruma or Mamori.

Yet, even when the punks take him into the equipment shed; this is actually a fairly decent representation of how some areas don't take bullying as seriously as others; especially in regards to the long standing "nerds vs. jocks" debate. If anything, the events that set the series in motion could qualify as glorified hazing. Now it just needs a good tune to set it to.






Kurita opens the shed, and is not happy with this sight. The way he reacts: he is worthy of Zangief ham!

I am strong like the ox! I shall crush you like Putin crush Urkraine!

Sure enough, the bullies try to break through, to no avail. Kurita just takes it, standing there; grinning. What do you expect when the guy is as strong as Andre the Giant?

When I first came here, someone like you tried to do this to me. I used his head for a game of touch.

Not only does he take all three of them; he even criticizes their form and gives them advice in a very suggestive manner.

Leaves very little to the imagination, doesn't it?

Kurita then decides to induct Sena into the football team over coffee.

Kurita then offers to put dozens of sugars in Sena's coffee. Oh yes, I believe that's how L takes his. And he likes that exact type of cake as well.


Kurita then announces his team's dream of making it to the Christmas Bowl. It's a standard goal; one that has endured through decades of sports movies. Naturally, it fits the series quite nicely. He describes it as his armageddon, which amazes Sena.

I don't wanna close my eyes, I don't wanna fall asleep, cause I'd miss you baby, and I don't wanna miss a thing!

Also, for this one scene, he has sclerae; whereas most of the time, he's drawn without them.

Sena then notices an opening for team secretary; and notices that he's essentially behind all the statistics revolving around the team. It is a vital position, and I admit to not being a fan of statistics. I personally thought Rotten Tomatoes was sketchy for collating responses of The Lego Movie to 95%, making it objectively better than The Wind Rises, Monsters University, Akira, or The Dark Knight.

Naturally, the punks are back for revenge and intend to frame Kurita for their problems. Yeah, quick question: under what jury or forensics team would the court side with a bunch of punks that are almost as thin as the bat they hold rather than a dim; but massive and contributing member to school athletics? Besides; it may be made of aluminum; but to Kurita, it might as well be a wiffle bat.

They find the phone, and Morena's number. Congratulations, Morena! You are now officially a bigger unwitting instigator of doom than Jar Jar Binks! At least he had the excuse that Palpatine needed a patsy and Lucas needed a way to justify the fandom's hatred of the character! Your attempts to give your kouhai confidence have instead resulted in subservience!

So, Sena decides that he has to make his own way, and I agree. As the Fresh Prince once said, "a good run is better than a bad stand any day."

Run, Forrest, Run!

He heads into the city center as he dashes past Hiruma; whose reaction would be the envy of Ming the Merciless.

Are your men on the right pills? Maybe you should execute their trainer!

Still, Hiruma having the jaws of Arlong and gawking at Sena's speed through a pair of Team Rocket macrobinoculars STILL puts him on a higher moral footing than the bullies.

He makes the train just in time.

Hiruma then gloats over having out-bullied the bullies; in a manner that Brian Blessed would adore.

GORDON'S ALIVE?!

Sena makes the team, but not as secretary. He is the new running back, Eyeshield 21! He turns out to be a much better football hero than NFL Superpro or that moron Ish from Rush Zone. When he tries to argue otherwise, Hiruma just brandishes a rocket launcher. I will be doing "The Legend of Dratini" this year, but not right away.

GAMES!

 "The Man With the Lightspeed Legs" is absolutely dripping with shonen camp. I know the medium can lend itself to seriousness and silliness alike; but the lines tend to be very clearly defined within a series, be it on an episode-by-episode basis or the tone for the whole show. That is why I prefer story and characterization to be clearly defined when starting a new series. It also helps to have a sense of self-awareness; and boy, does this anime know its stuff. It's also surprisingly attentive to the detail of football, even including little technical quizzes for those unfamiliar with the game. I can say that I would be willing to continue; and there is definitely material for more recaps. Next time, to deal with the constant technical woes I am facing; I think I shall do a recap of an anime that is rife with them. Next time: Mega Man NT Warrior!

Recap: Kanga Games

After much deliberation and delay, I now present my look at Pikachu's Winter Vacation: Kanga Games!

My 22nd birthday went quite well; even though the term has been much harder than I thought. Given how 2013 threw me a lot of curveballs that I wasn't expecting; I honestly have no idea what to expect in 2014. I know I certainly wasn't expecting to put this recap out after the Sochi Olympics had come and passed; and I also wasn't expecting Space Dandy to be such a pleasant surprise from the people behind Cowboy Bebop. So, let's get started.

 We see a bunch of newly-fallen snow that the Pokémon decide to play in. Once again, this is a very dialogue-free short, and I chose it to ease back into writing recaps before I tackle the first episode of Eyeshield 21, The Man With the Lightspeed Legs. There is material; and I would like to see more, as while I'm not a sports fan; it's got enough shonen clichés to make it entertaining for the anime side; as well as lots of '90s sports movie tropes and colorful characters that could easily pass in a game of Tecmo Bowl or Mutant League Football.

 I personally find this very soothing and relaxing. While many of the other shorts are attached to the movies, the newer ones are now streamed separately on Pokémon.com. They are generally less intense than the show proper or the movies they open; much like a Pixar short or certain skits on Azumanga Daioh or Nichijou. I may consider recapping some episodes of those; given there is plenty to work with, and a few episodes do have the sports theme I wanted to branch out into. One of the goals I set for myself was to branch out further and further into territory that I might not immediately be familiar with; but still enjoying much of the works that would be more accessible to western audiences.

Of course, one of our standard Pokémon for comic relief, Psyduck is all over this. I find ducks to be some of the most amusing creatures on earth; and naturally, I gravitate towards Pokémon that resemble ducks for that reason. He also resembles the kappa of Japanese mythology, even more apparent in its evolution, Golduck.

Psy-ay-ay! Translation: Every mention of Pokémon Twitch makes my headache worse!

Of course, Togepi is enjoying himself very much. He was a taste of the then-unreleased Gold and Silver games. Even now, the anime can be used to set up new Pokémon and games. Essentially, when one generation starts and the games once again make the perennial best-seller list of the given year they're out; Game Freak essentially says, "if we want to think about the future, we have to get started now." I especially like how the newer games and seasons have tried very hard to recreate the feeling of playing the original games for the first time; and watching the original series for the first time. Even though they have delved into darker elements, the series still remains largely fun and idealistic; much like fellow Nintendo series such as Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda.

Pikachu also shows off his penchant for impressions; which tends to come up now and again, usually in situations one a Pokémon or Ash is in trouble. Here, though, it's just a fun little game.

Togepi then finds a massive footprint. I also saw the trailer for the new Godzilla film. I am a bit more optimistic for this remake. While I was unsure at first because of the last one (which has not aged well as my 6-year-old self would leave me to believe, though a TV show was actually well done); I expressed genuine glee that the design hewed closer to Toho's concept (as in, not a CGI Zilla that was mocked by Godzilla 2000) and the story was closer to the dark tone of the original 1954 Gojira (right down to it being a parable for nuclear war. While it was still popular then, it was panned by critics for making light of a touchy subject; and was in fact worked on by survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I imagine the new film will face a similar challenge given post-Fukushima debates on nuclear energy).

Kanghaskhan arrives, to kick off the festivities.


Naturally, she has her baby in tow. As Kanghaskhan was one of the Pokémon chosen to get a mega evolution in X and Y, now the baby can fight as well. As such, the debate floor is once again open. I welcome any theories, old and new.

 The first event, started by the baby, is a snowball fight. Always good snow fun as anything else.

Bulbasaur and Squirtle are eager to join the fun, and have plenty of snowballs of their own.

Of course, Squirtle ends up frosty.

Squirtle Squirt! Translation: You shut your mouth! How can you say I go about things the wrong way?

The next event is the three-Pokémon bobsled. I tend to enjoy events such as that. Now it just needs appropriate music. 

Naturally, it leads to one of many images in the franchise that looks dirty, but isn't.

Get your mind out of the gutter!

Now, they're riding Onix like a giant snowmobile. This leaves quite the image, doesn't it? And yet, it's the one involving Squirtle and Bulbasaur people take out of context.
If that doesn't sell it, then take a gander at Togepi and Pikachu's reactions.

I bet Kanghaskhan's only regret is that he didn't spend more time at the office.

Then, Kanghaskhan rams Onix in the head to stop. ...That was worded very conveniently, wasn't it? My next choice of song definitely won't help either.

Everyone is safe as Kanghaskhan smiles at their day of fun.

As the sun sets, the Pokémon go running to the waiting arms of their trainers. 

They bond with their trainers as they leap into their coats.

As new snow falls, I look forward to another new year of fun and excitement in this franchise, and the medium I love so well.

"Kanga Games" is an ideal compliment to "Pikachu's Christmas Vacation" in every way possible. It is only natural that I started my coverage of sports-related episodes and series; because my other choices I picked and I'm considering for the coming year are going to be big ones. Next time is my recap of "The Man With the Lightspeed Legs!" Don't miss it!

Black Lagoon and Blue Exorcist on Toonami soon, update regarding Kanga Games.

Hello again. Well, the Sochi Olympics have come and gone with many gold medals and meetings of goodwill. While I have taken the screencaps for Kanga Games, I have been severely behind in writing it; and it will be a sendoff for the Winter Olympics and a kickoff for covering sports-related anime episodes and series (no pun intended, as I have watched the first episode of Eyeshield 21 and will recap it to celebrate the Seahawks' victory in the Super Bowl, including one of our boys from Lebanon here in Oregon). I hope to get it written and posted before the week is out.

In the meantime, here's a piece of anime news regarding Toonami. Black Lagoon and Blue Exorcist are being added to the lineup starting in March, when Soul Eater concludes its run. Ironic that I joke about the latter in my new recap and it gets added to the lineup. To elaborate, I have mixed feelings about that addition. While the paranormal fascinates me, especially in anime; I don't feel that Blue Exorcist offers anything I haven't seen before in Bleach, Yu Yu Hakusho, or the Monogatari series; and doesn't offer
anything in characterization from the premise that I couldn't get from other series I'm following.

Black Lagoon, on the other hand, looks more promising. It is a series about a group of Somalian pirates who kidnap a man and get him wrapped up in their pillaging and plundering. It is a dark series, but I feel it's one that I could actually get invested in rather than turned off by (see: Future Diary, Code Geass R2, and we will be opening those doors again); since I like it when TV tackles modern issues with that kind of hand.

Well, I'm going to get to work on writing the recap of "Kanga Games" as quickly as I can. This year will see many more recaps, including some of my favorite Johto fillers, my first recaps of Best Wishes, and sports anime covering baseball, basketball, and racing among chief events (including From Humble Beginnings of the first two episodes of Speed Racer, as well as a certain mecha racing series I was very disappointed by). See you, space cowboy.