Full Metal Alchemist: A Reasessment

Alphonse, Courage the cowardly dog, Eagle the not so chicken chicken and
 Edward take a rest by the yellowbrick road on their way to the Emerald City.
Just kidding.

Full Metal Alchemist: A Reasessment


For years I've been avoiding this one. I now find I may have made a mistake.

I usually don't go in for "magic" anime. Yeah, God don't like the occult and I never did care for magic being used as a shortcut/plot device/crutch.

You know the drill:

"So wadaya' make of it doc?"

"Magic!"

"Say What!?"

And the story/plot goes merrily on its' way leaving me ticked off about plot holes and scriptwriter laziness.

And what's up with that symbol? Kinda like Blue Oyster Cults'.

Well, I was downtown in the bustling metropolis of Delaware, Ohio the other day when I decided to stop at Gameplay. Not into vid games, I usually go there to check out their DVD movie rack. There I found the first four episode disc to Full Metal Alchemist.

Folks had been telling me for the longest time to check it out and hey, $3.99 used? OK!

I learned my lesson from Puella Magi Madoka Magica (Oh! It really ISN'T Sailor Moon! Now if Aniplex U.S.A. would market it right and put it in a box set instead of three episode singles at thirty plus bucks a pop, I'd get it in a New Jersey minute.).

The story is about the Elric brothers, Darwin and Dudley ... er, uh ... Edward and Alphonse (After the colossal boner that got them in their predicament and on their journey, you'd call them that too!) and their quest to find Alchemys' fabled "Philosophers' Stone" to correct the results of aforementioned misadventure.

From what I've seen so far, the "Dragon Ball Z" and "Sailor Moon" aren't overplayed. It was the "hook" that got me. The "laws" of reciprocity and equivalent exchange are at the forefront from the start. Being something of a Randroid, that appeals to me.

Shoot. If someone told me this was a more action oriented Spice and Wolf of sorts, I'd have got it long ago.

I do wonder if they go into the principle of entropy later. Where something may not be worth the price you're paying. Examples: Physically, a DVD only costs 35-40 cents to make yet you pay many times that (The content jacks the price up.). Or, no matter how much your paycheck, you're never going to be able to buy back even one second of the time you spent at work.

As it is, I'm going to get this one ...


Wikipedia articles on Full Metal Alchemist here and here.


Go to Jays' Tee Vee blog main page here. If there's a buncha' articles under this one, you're already there.

Interesting Search Words #27

Interesting Search Words #27

Been quite a while since I did this "column". Seems the viewership has fallen quite a bit thus resulting in fewer folks coming up with searches leading them here. Managed to scrape up a few & so ...

Note: Some illustrations are larger than they appear.


1. GUP miho nishizumi dies - No ... SHE WINS!

Ooarai Academy armored warfare team(s). Miho holding the victory flag. L-R by
team: Morals Committee (Char B), History Club (Sturmgeschutz III), Vollyball
team (Type 89), Anglerfish team (Pz IV), Student Council (Hetzer), Underclassmen
team (M3 Lee), Automechanics Club (Porsche Tiger), Nerdy Girls (Type 4).

2. crying shinji in a chair - Man up Shinji!

Lets see ... My dad's a jerk, got three good lookin' babes in my life who look
down on me, nobody likes me ... and then their's that thing about the world coming
to an end. Man! This just sucks!

3. goddess haruhi suzumiya - That's redundant.

You DO know where to go Sunday, don't you?

4. suzumiya mafia - Now don't go giving her ideas. By the way ... shouldn't that be Suzumiya Yakusa?

5. kill chiyo - Now why would you want that to happen to everyones' favorite little genius? Come to think of it ... I've done that to her in two of my fan fics!

6. frankenstein smoking weed - Have a blunt! It's my only weakness ...

"Smoke! ... Good! ... Goooooood!"
Actually, it's a cigar.

7. does mercury have moons - No ... She has friends.

Wonderful character design but such a horrid little show. If something like this
could be done for Puella Magi Madoka Magica ...

That's it for now. Hopefully viewership will pick back up & I'll have quite a few more next time. Sees ya!


Girls und Panzer/Kellys' Heroes here.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Ooooo! Goodies In the Mail! here.

The Head Trip of Haruhi Suzumiya parts 1, 2, & 3.

My two fanfics where I "kill" Chiyo-chan here & here. They can also be found on my fanfic page at fanfiction dot net.


Go to Jays' Tee Vee blog main page here.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: NOT the Usual Fluff

What I originally thought to be kiddy tripe turns out to be an interesting show.
L-R: Kyubey (on shoulder) with magical girls Madoka Kaname,
Sayaka Miki, Mami Tomoe, Kyoko Sakura, & Homura Akemi.

Puella Magi Madoka Magica: NOT the Usual Fluff

by

Jay Agan


Normally I steer clear of the magical girl sub-genre. That sachariny, cutesy-patootsie garbage makes me beyond ill. I had fun in the 90s making fun of the insipid Sailor Moon show on Fox Kids  on my days off but that's about it.

I scoffed when an aquaintance suggested Puella Magi Madoka Magica to me (Another has been trying to get me to watch ... gasp! ... My Little Pony, Friendship Is Magic! That's another gory story entirely ... ). After months of on/off again passive derision & just plain avoidance I fell across the Wikipedia review & episode guide & later decided to give it a try when I "discovered" Crunchityroll.

Gotta admit. This ain't the usual cup o' bubbly barf you'd expect.

Take:

Sailor Moon ... Hell Girl ... Neon Genesis/End of Evangelion ... Bedazzled ... Wishmaster ... Throw in a bit of Peter Max & Terry Gilliam ... And you have ...

A semi-deep, non-superficial tale of young ladies making Faustian bargains with what at first appears to be a benevolent spirit but in reality a satanic manipulator & user. Why satanic? One episode has a scene reminiscent of Christs' temptation wherein the "demonic" Kyubey or "Incubator" tries to cajole the protagonist Madoka into "drinking the Kool-Aid". Promising wonderful things if only she'd give in.

The arrangement seems wonderful at first: Become a "magical girl" trope in order to fight evil & your one fondest wish will be granted. Such a deal! Over the course of several episodes Kyubey gradually reveals the rest of the contract as nothing more than a scam to use selected humans as "energy sources" for his races' use. Oh yeah. It's also shown that after time, the ultimate fate of all magical girls, in spite of steps taken to prevent, is to gradually sink into a state of despair & trans-form into "witches", the very enemies they're fighting, which are also being used for the same purpose.

By the way ... Unlike most of those insipid "magical girl" shows, one can get killed in the course of fighting evil ... Painfully so.

In short, one is sucked into a sick, little game manipulated by the Incubators for their own ends.

Samuel Goldwyn once said: "A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it's printed on."

Whenever making agreements/covenants with seemingly benevolent entities (Especially the cute, puppy/kitty looking kind!) be sure you get it in writing & have your lawyer go over the fine print FIRST. Otherwise ... NO DEAL!

What I thought to be a kool touch was the Homura characters' supplementing her powers
with conventional weapons. Using her "time stopping" ability, Colt .45s, a Desert Eagle
& a shotgun are taken from the locker room of a local Yakusa hangout. She's later seen
making & using pipe bombs!

A couple of spoilers: Madoka, the main protagonist, doesn't become a magical girl until the last of the twelve episode series (This may seem aggravating at first but the pay-off is worth it!). When she does, she "folds the situation in on itself". Watch & see.

Too bad Aniplex doesn't know how to  market anime very well, otherwise I'll just have to wait a good looooong while for it to come out in a box set ... On Amazon ... Sale price ... USED! This releasing a series in overpriced 3 to 4 episode dribs n' drabs just doesn't cut it with me. I WILL get this one when conditions are right.

Article (only) copyright © 1-24-2013 Jay Agan


Wikipedia review of Puella Magi Madoka Magica here.

Crunchyroll main page here.

Go to Jays' Tee Vee blog main page here.


DISCLAIMER: All images used on this blog are strictly copyrights of their owners. I do not claim credit/ownership for any images used here in my blog unless stated otherwise. If I have offended anyone by posting any images on my blog, please contact me via email and I will remove specified image(s) ASAP.

Interesting Search Words #24

Interesting Search Words #24


Gotta keep searchin' searchin'
Find a place to hide
searchin' searchin'
Baby by my side
If we gotta keep on the run
We'll follow the sun now
Weeoo!
Follow the sun now
Weeoo!


1. girls in chastity belts - Not a bad idea considering ...

2. kyon & haruhi-third impact - didn't that almost happen in episode 6 of the first season & ep 23 of the second?

3. hentai real - Hentai not real.

4. william holden gay - I don't think so.

5. rei ayanami rebuild smile - Here at Community Dentistry, we can rebuild ANYONES smile into the perfect "you" ...

She's smiling 'cause you're about to get tanged.

6. tiny toons evil elmira - That's Almira. Elmira's a town in upstate New York.

7. shinji ikari depressed - More depressing than depressed.

"No! ... NO! ... Not ... My Little Pony! ... Anything but THAT! Aaaaaaaugh!"

8. green miranda warning card - Good combo. You can work AND keep your mouth shut.

9. cthulhu mlp - "... and in strange eons even THAT may die."

10. sailor moon smoking weed - "In the name of the moon ... I will uh ... uh ... Hey dude!? ... Ya ... Ya got any Doritos?"

Hey ... All Superman needed was a pair of glasses.
Fooled me every time.

Well, that's it for now. Maybe more in a couple weeks.


 The Head Trip of Haruhi Suzumiya pts 1, 2, 3.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Oooo! Goodies In the Mail here.

End of Evangelion: This Is (Really) Disturbing here.

Hilarious assesment of the Evangelion franchise here.

Call of Cthulhu, One Really Worth Watching here.

Go to Jays' Tee Vee blog main page here.

Interesting Search Words #22

Interesting Search Words #22


      Searching search words from searchers searching on the searchable net.


1. haruhi suzumiya & yuki nakamura - It's actually YURI Nakamura.

Despite any SUPERFICIAL similarities in character design, they're
altogether two differents shows. L-R Haruhi Suzumiya, Yuri Nakamura.

... Though it would be really kool if they combined the two.

2. azumanga daioh red raccoon dog - I always thought the impromptu team outfit using the mens school uniform was a clever idea.



And again I say ... Tall IS beutiful

3. haruhi internet - I thought the god of the net was Lain Iwakura.



"There is nothing wrong with your television set ...
I ... am in control."

4. hell girl hentai - Sounds like the title to a really bad anime ... or a really great girl punk band.

5. sailor moon characters - here's an alternate to the illustration in Interesting Search Words #21.

As I said before in Interesting Search Words #21:
Excellent character design, TERRIBLE show.

 

6. dr strangelove cosplay - Let's see ... suit 'n tie ... dark glasses ... frizzed out hair ... heavy black rubber glove ... crap eating grin ... and ... Oh yeah! ... A wheel chair.

7. demotivational white chicks - Yes ... they can be.

8. ai enma in fire - Actually ... The fire is for ... YOU! If Rei don't get you first.

Not exactly FOX NEWS is it? Ai Enma as a news correspondent
in Season 2, Episode 13 of Hell Girl. Darn rubberneckers!

9. rei ayanami fantasm - Ah yes ... The girl of your adolescent dreams ... or nightmares.

"Oooo! ... He's CUTE! ... I think I'll tang him!"

      Well that's it for now this week & a half. Ya'll keep those requests coming, see ya ...


The Head Trip of Haruhi Suzumiya pts. 1, 2, 3.

Angel Beats: Not a Haruhi Clone here.

Azumanga Daioh: Too ... Much ... Cute here.

Mini reviews for Hell Girl & Serial Experiments Lain here.

Neon Genesis Evangelion: Oooo! Goodies In the Mail here.

End of Evangelion: This Is (Really) Disturbing here.

Go to Jays' Tee Vee blog main page here.

Interesting Search Words #21

Interesting Search Words #21


More strange little web searches from strange little web people.

1. anne frank hentai - What the ...! Are you ... you gotta be ... ... GET OUTTA HERE!

2. atlas shrugged vs lord of the rings - Barack Obama. It's like having Gollum for president.
 

John Galt & a Taggart Transcontinental locomotive.
Credit: James Climer, Climercomics.

3. what does trololo mean - Here's your trololo right here!

4. rei ayanami creepy - Creepy ... yes. But not half as creepy as Kaworu.

Yeah ... She's creepy alright!

5. sailor moon drunk - We've all seen that one. I'd rather put in a nice iconic shot of the group of five.

Sailor Moon. A classic example of excellent character design carrying what
otherwise is an abysmal show. DBZ for girls & thus prettier to look at. And,
 unfortunately, has been a staple of hentai knockoffs for over two decades.

6. sick shinji - Yes! Sick, sick, SICK Shinji.


Shinji Ikari. President of the Tokyo 3 chapter of the
Edward D. Wood Jr. Fan Club. Maybe it's because he
feels closer to Asuka when he wears her stuff.

7. ayn rand swimsuit - That's almost as bad as Anne Frank hentai. As an objectivist, I OBJECT!

8. giant naked rei - Much better than 1, 6 & 7 and certainly better than a giant naked Kaworu. Possibly the creepiest scene in End of Evangelion.

Third Impact would be a lot more fun if it was Haruhi.
She IS God after all.

That's it for now. Things have slowed down DRASTICALLY blog traffic wise the last couple days. Either due to the elections (Get out there & VOTE!) or perhaps the shine has been taken off the apple of the Darn That Bill! article (Now over 47,000 hits on that one!). Hopefully things will pick up later, probably after November 6. Will still try to get Interesting Search Words #22 out before then & of course get two articles on this blog per week ... See ya'll later.


Climercomics here.

Wikipedia Atlas Shrugged article here.

Atlas Shrugged Pt. 1: So Bad Because It's Good here.

The trololo guy here.

Trololo cat here.

Neon Genesis Evangelion OOOO! Goodies in the Mail here.

Wikipedia Sailor Moon franchise article here.

Ayn Rand Institute here.

Atlas Society here.

End of Evangelion: This Is (Really) Disturbing here.

The Head Trip of Haruhi Suzumiya parts 1, 2, 3.

Go to Jays' Tee Vee blog main page here.

Are Otakus Weird? ... Depends

So the Goddess says, thus it is so ...

                                           Are Otakus Weird? ... Depends

                                                                  by

                                                                      Jay Agan


     All depends on the "otaku". Me? I'm just a fan. To prove there's a difference:

Believe it or not, this pile actually IS someones' collection. I
don't have even a fifth this much. Most I wouldn't bother with.

1. Me: I only have about two shelves worth of these Japaneses cartoons. Yes, I call them cartoons. Sometimes I use the Walter Lantz spelling (Kartunes!).

    Otakus: Some of these folks have anime collections bigger than my entire vid collection.

"Man's gotta know his limitations.": Dirty Harry
Credit: Fighter4Luv from DeviantArt

2. Otakus: Some cosplay as characters who don't match their body types, age or gender. There should be a rule wherin one can only cosplay if one is within 10 pounds of the character they're portraying. Oh yes, get a shave!

    Me: I don't cosplay but if I did, I'd take my limitations into account. You wouldn't see me made up as Sailor Moon, Pinkie Pie, or whatever!

Even if I was into this, I wouldn't have a place to put them. That & I stopped
building/collecting models long ago (It was the darn glue!).

3. Otakus: A lot load themselves down with figurines, knick knacks (Paddywhacks!), posters, body pillows (What the ...!?), manga, books, magazines & other ephemera.

    Me: I've a couple posters, three reference books & a stack of manga less than a foot high. I don't bother with a magazine unless it has an article of interest. With all the free stuff/info on the net, why bother?

I have only one of these. Guess which one. Credit: Derek Lieu

4. Otakus: Into "anime flavor of the month". "The latest 'n greatest." Will watch anything anime, never mind if it's any good or not.

    Me: I have a few of the "classics" & am pretty much satisfied with that. If I'm streaming a show I don't like, I drop it. If  I pick up something & it turns out I don't like it, I either throw it out (If it's too objectionable.) or give it to the local colleges' anime club.

Oh? Uh ... What is it exactly? (Yeah, right!)

5. Otakus: SOME have, shall we say, interesting "predilections" to say the least.

Me: I'm not gonna tell ya! ... er ... uh ... I mean ... Never Mind! FORGET WHAT I SAID!


It Was the Darn Glue! here.

Go to Jays' Tee Vee blog main page here.


DISCLAIMER: All images used on this blog are strictly copyrights of their owners. I do not claim credit/ownership for any images used here in my blog unless stated otherwise. If I have offended anyone by posting any images on my blog, please contact me via email and I will remove specified image(s) ASAP.

Interesting Search Words #5

      The nice thing about this weekly "column" is that I hardly do any work. People just "send" me material. Here's this weeks goodies wot gotz some people ta dis here blog.

1. rei ayanami hi def - Hi def, low def ..... who cares? Run like heck!

Credit: Shawn Merrow

2. big brown anime rodent - Certainly not ..... Hamtaro!?

3. diamond hypnotized sailor moon - Such a superficial, materialistic kid.

4. anime teen full body template - DIY hentai?

5. azumanga daioh goes bad - Those kids have been known to be the poster children for juvenile delinquency from time to time.

6. hi ya cthulhu - Well hello yourself. This anything like Hello Kitty?

7. GODZILLA+REI+AYANAMI - Oh for the luv a ..... You gotta be kidding me! First third impact ..... & now this! Talk about a double whammy! Might make for one heck of a puddle of LCL.

Shawn Merrow has made a lot of anime related "demotivational posters". Check 'em out here.

Go to Main Page here. 

DISCLAIMER: All images used on this blog are strictly copyrights of their owners. I do not claim credit/ownership for any images used here in my blog unless stated otherwise. If I have offended anyone by posting any images on my blog, please contact me via email and I will remove specified image(s) ASAP.

Pokemon ..... Uh ..... Yeah

If the show was more like this ... I might have watched it!

                                       
Pokemon ..... Uh ..... Yeah

                                                           
by

                                                               
Jay Agan

     

I don't hate Pokemon. I have no BIG feelings toward it one way or the other. Small negative ones, yes.

I paid it no mind when it first came out in the 90s. I noticed it in ads & hobby stores & pretty much dismissed it as a kids' show/card game. This (And the execrable Sailor Moon.) was what a new generation of anime fans cut its collective teeth on. Was a little curious about that "tiger piglet" though  (Turned out to be an electric rat.).

At one point it started to get a little pervasive/oppressive to some. I remember talking with a fellow behind the counter at Hobbyland on Sawmill Road in Columbus, when a bunch of kids came charging in screaming about Pokemon cards. The guy looks at me & says, "gimmie a grenade!"

I also rember the "Pokemon Effect". Seems in one episode, the creators inadvertantly used the "right" shade of red & flashed it in the exact timing in one action scene to cause bad reactions in some people. A scene in the film The Andromeda Strain illustrates this well. I some times think of Pokemon as some kind of virus as well.

In 2000, I worked a few months at a "distribution center" (Warehouse!) dealing in all sorts of junk. Some of which was "all stuff Pokemon". As a picker, I got to know more about the show than I cared to. I can still recognize a lot of the characters 'n critters.

"Lets see ..... ONE Poliwhirl plushie, check. ONE childrens book, Pikachu I Choose You!, check. ONE Pokemon stickers activity book, check ..... " Etc. & so on, grumble, grumble.

This was around the time Cracked magazine made parody Pokemon cards (Psycho Duck, Jiggly Tush, etc.). I toyed with the idea of slipping a few into the decks. Should have done it. Dang!

The job in & of itself wasn't bad. The headgames & wierdness from the "higher ups" had me climbing the wall. Self appointed thought police were everywhere keeping things PC & cozy. Incessant meetings/rah rah sessions on productivity kept everyone from being productive. Other stuff they put me through too numerous to count. I finally understood why "violence in the workplace" happens from time to time.


For some this is Misty.

     

For others ..... this ..... is ..... MISTY!

It's a little hard for me to shake the mild negativity I have for the show. Lingers. If your'e into it, fine, though if your'e past puberty I can't help but wonder about you. Maybe it's those late teen/twentysomethings cosplaying as Misty/Kasumi keeping you interested. Or that creepy hentai.

Article copyright © 6-14-2011 Jay Agan



Go to Main Page here.

DISCLAIMER: All images used on this blog are strictly copyrights of their owners. I do not claim credit/ownership for any images used here in my blog unless stated otherwise. If I have offended anyone by posting any images on my blog, please contact me via email and I will remove specified image(s) ASAP.

Another Wot Coulda Been Anime

George Barrows as the beast of Revelation strikes
in Robot Monster. 1953 Photo credit: Astor Pictures

                                         Another Wot Coulda Been Anime

                                                                 by

                                                                     Jay Agan

     The last family on Earth fights a desperate struggle for survival against an alien "horde" composed of a single invader. Hilarity ensues when the Ro-Man turns out to be George Barrows wearing a gorilla suit & space helmet! Name of the film: Robot Monster! A Phil Tucker masterpiece guaranteed to bring on the laughs. The reviews it got back in 1953 alledgedly drove Tucker to attempt suicide. Just watching it may get you to thinking the same. Fer instance:

     Familiar stock footage from One Million BC, Flight to Mars & other oldies to pad it out.

     An epic "battle" scene straight out of DBZ (Just kidding!), where the heroine is obviously giggling over her perilous predicament.

     Atrocious philosiphizing about how "must" & "cannot" be existentially reconciled. Think of all the screwy pop philosophy/dialogue that comes up in so many anime. ("People die when they get killed." How profound!)

     A "near rape" scene that has you going ..... "What the ..... ?"

     Special effects consisting of flashes (Uh, oh ..... "The Pokemon Effect"!), electrical buzzes, negative exposure photography, & lots & lots of ..... BUBBLES!

     Maybe they could have the Sailor Moon & Dragonball folks collaborate on this one.

     Most critics & discriminating viewers were really down on this one when it was released. While the incredible cheesiness & under the top quality are more than obvious, I cannot help but wonder (Spoiler ahead!): It turns out in the end it was only a kids' fever dream. A fellow on the Classic Horror Film board once remarked about this film on how the "production values" of a lot of his dreams/nightmares were pretty sparse. Same for me. It could be the ultra schlockiness of this flick was intentional & nobody got the "joke". Instead it's on us.

     By the way. The composer of the "opressive" music for this film is Elmer Bernstein. I find it hard to believe this is the same guy who wrote the compositions for DeMilles' The Ten Commandments. If so, a classic case of "from the depths to the heights."

     "You can not escape me ..... Hu-man! ..... Very well ..... I will recalculate ..... Your death will be In-De-Scri-BABLE! Fool ..... hu-mans! There is no escape!"

Robot Monster trailer & commentary here.

Hell & High Water: A Movie Wot Coulda Been Anime here.

Go to Main Page here.

DISCLAIMER: All images used on this blog are strictly copyrights of their owners. I do not claim credit/ownership for any images used here in my blog unless stated otherwise. If I have offended anyone by posting any images on my blog, please contact me via email and I will remove specified image(s) ASAP.

This article (only) may be copied (With permission.) in whole or in part. Please include proper credit and backlink.
                                           
                                                Article copyright © 2-3-2011 Jay Agan

Upcoming Animes. Well, Not Really Part 3

                                     Upcoming Animes. Well, Not Really Part 3

                                                                  by

                                                                     Jay Agan
　
      It won't be 10 more this time as I've run out of ideas. Maybe in about a year I'll come up with more. Here goes.
　
      1. The Tribulation of Haruhi Suzumiya- Out of sheer frustration/cynicism & pique, Kyon tries another attempt at telling Haruhi the truth about herself. This time she believes him! He then notices a Bible on her desk bookmarked halfway through Revelation. Oops!

      Guess we now know who she really is.
　
      2. Great Teacher Kimura- Yes! He's back! That whacky sicko from Azumanga Daioh! Stalking his way into the hearts of millions &, as usual, is about as funny as a ..... well, a child molester. Belly laughs & gutbusters aplenty over his creepy antics as Minamo & novice science teacher Kaorin, stand between him & the kids.
　
      3. The Girl Who Schlepped Through Time- She loved her Bat Mitzvah. But it wasn't quite as good as she liked. So.....

      4. Beau Geste & The Secret of Blue Water- The Geste brothers, finding the legendary jewel, the Blue Water, has been stolen, join the Foriegn Legion to avoid disgrace. The sadistic Sargeant Markoff plots to get it. While posted at Fort Zinderneuf a group of jewel thieves, a young frenchman, & a young Kenyan circus performer (who has the jewel) end up there as well, having been pursued by a force of Neo-Atlanteans disguised as Arab raiders. Gary Cooper & Brian Donlevy never had it so bad!

      5. Sailor Quarter/Full Moon- Serena & friends still on the job protecting Crystal Tokyo ..... & coping with eating disorders.

      6. The Attack of the Angst Stricken Giant Magical Robot Vampire Princess Schoolgirl- 90% of the anime you'll ever watch. In one movie.

      7. The Asassination of Haruhi Suzumiya- One of the "factions" involved in the SOS Brigade comes to the descision of putting a stop to all the nonsense. Whose is it? Mikurus'? Itsukes'? Yuki maybe? Then again, Kyon could be pretty much fed up with the whole thing right about now. Tune in & find out!
　
      8. Bridge On the River Kawai- British POWs are forced to build an absolutly cute little bridge over a stunningly charming river for the Japanese military. The POWs' commanding officer goes mindnumbingly yandere over the idea. Later in the show, commandoes blow up the adorable structure just as a totally moe little choo choo crosses over &..........

      Krap! I said I was running out of ideas & this proves it! I'm almost embarrassed to print this. Aw..... what the heck! I'm hitting the button.

                                              Article copyright © Jay Agan

Upcoming Animes. Well, Not Really Part 2

Upcoming Animes. Well, Not Really Part 1

Go to Main Page.

Sonny Gave It Strait

                                                         Sonny Gave It Strait

                                                                        by

                                                                           Jay Agan

     Sometime in Autumn, 2003. I'm out on the lot bringing in shopping carts at a place that shall remain nameless. Unlike most of my fellow employees, I actually liked getting karts all day. I'm outside, getting some exercise, & best of all, am away from the public (God bless 'em. Grrrrr!). Wheeling another load in, I noticed a Hummer pulling in. The earlier, discontinued, large model, glossy black, with Dragonball Z characters painted on. Huh? Some otaku with more money than brains? Had to check this out.

     Though I recognized the images (Goku, Krillin, etc.) on the vehicle, I'm no fan of that particular anime. I'd seen bits & pieces of that loud, garish, repetitive show while channel surfing. I actually had seen a few whole episodes of the original Dragonball & found them quite funny. But DBZ? Ugh! I recollect one fellow commenting there were 350+ episodes & taking out the flashbacks/repeats you'd have about 75. Simple intros/faceoffs would take more than one ep before a fight would start. Shoot! Even Pokemon's more involved plotwise.

     As two guys pile out, I notice some kids gathering round. Turns out to be a promotional for the shows' trading card game & one of the guys is Sonny Strait, voice of Krillin & other characters in the English dubs. Feeling snarky, I try to needle him.

     "Hate the show, it hurts my eyes."

     He patiently explains the effect the creators wanted was the basic five color scheme used in comics and funny papers.

     "What's the show about? All I see are a bunch of costumed goons beating each other up."

     "That's exactly what the show is about!" Pointing in the air with a flourish, smile on his face, not rattled at all.

     Not getting the reaction I wanted, (No snobbery or pretentiousness. Dang!), I turned back to retrieving karts. "Well, it could be worse. It could be Sailor Moon."

     Only a chuckle in reply. Years down the road, someone commented he probably got a lot of crap from "fans" and knew how to handle it. I guess so!

     A half hour later, I spot Mr. Strait in the stores' cafeteria. Feeling more civilized, I question him on the voice acting field & he graciously answered my inquiries. The guy has class.

     This was one of several instances that led me to pursue a career in the field myself, (A story{s} for maybe later.) & I won't forget it.

                                                   Article copyright © Jay Agan

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