usamimi wrote:Aww it's nice to see you posting Animusubi! Haven't seen you around in a while
Dagashi Kashi is the candy one right? I've only had Dagashi once & it was so long ago...I should try some again.
I know, I've been so busy with things. And it's only in the last month or so I started really watching a lot and planning things for my blog, so seemed like a good time to come check out things. C:
Yeah, Japan's equivalent of "penny candy". Though dagashi branches out to various non-candy type snacks too. A few of the Asian stores in my area sell like under 5 items that are considered dagashi, but not enough. So many I wanna try!
Finally finished Tekkaman Blade the TV series. I wouldn't mind a remastered release, which I would consider buying again, although the animation quality of this series ranges from extremely stylized to low quality to begin with. Anyway, it's nice to finally finish a series I'd known about since I was 16 (through Teknoman) but took a while to get around to the original.
I also finished Cybersix, the Canada-Japan coproduction. I do believe this is one of TMS' very best works, from an animation standpoint. While most of the show is fairly standard monster of the week stuff, every episode is eye candy and a few of the later episodes feature some really theatrical quality animation combined with some pretty solid stories. I think this show has only about 5 voice actors in the cast? Janyse Jaud plays like 3 or 4 characters in the series, not to mention Cathy Weseluck being both Cybersix and her "male" alter ego.
People here have heard me complain about this before, but it seems like the action genre in TV animation has been on a serious decline in the last decade or so, on both sides of the pacific. It seems like the action cartoons that are available skew younger and younger these days and the violence keeps getting toned down more and more, and even anime is suffering here too.
I've been looking at the list of cartoons currently on air in the US and all but a handful of them could be considered action cartoons. I guess, with action figures maybe not being as big sellers as they used to, there's no more motivation from toy companies to seriously fund action cartoons anymore either. I think Justice League Action is the only true action cartoon to debut in 2016?
Yea Cybersix was a pretty cool show. While it's fairly formulaic, it oozes style. As you said about MTV...it reminds me of Aeon Flux in look and style, although more appropriate for younger viewers than Aeon Flux was of course.
I wish Aeon Flux got on blu ray. Apparently they were going to do it back in 2011 but it was cancelled.
I never saw Bionic Six. I mean, I probably came across it sometime during the 80s but never followed it religiously. There are a bunch of 80s cartoons that completely eluded my radar for whatever reason (Galaxy Rangers and Saber Rider--aka Bismarck-- are two major ones that I missed) Considering Osamu Dezaki was the chief director of Bionic Six, I want to check it out. But it was never released on DVD, was it?
Assassination Classroom: More entertaining and funnier than I expected. It's not something I'd ever go our and buy, but definitely a worthy rental series. Koro-Sensei is an awesome teacher.
Assassination Classroom: More entertaining and funnier than I expected. It's not something I'd ever go our and buy, but definitely a worthy rental series. Koro-Sensei is an awesome teacher.
They just added that to Crunchyroll recently I think! I heard it was a surprisingly fun lil show, I've had friends recommend it. Maybe I'll give it a shot one of these days.
llj wrote:Finally finished Tekkaman Blade the TV series. I wouldn't mind a remastered release, which I would consider buying again, although the animation quality of this series ranges from extremely stylized to low quality to begin with. Anyway, it's nice to finally finish a series I'd known about since I was 16 (through Teknoman) but took a while to get around to the original.
I also finished Cybersix, the Canada-Japan coproduction. I do believe this is one of TMS' very best works, from an animation standpoint. While most of the show is fairly standard monster of the week stuff, every episode is eye candy and a few of the later episodes feature some really theatrical quality animation combined with some pretty solid stories. I think this show has only about 5 voice actors in the cast? Janyse Jaud plays like 3 or 4 characters in the series, not to mention Cathy Weseluck being both Cybersix and her "male" alter ego.
People here have heard me complain about this before, but it seems like the action genre in TV animation has been on a serious decline in the last decade or so, on both sides of the pacific. It seems like the action cartoons that are available skew younger and younger these days and the violence keeps getting toned down more and more, and even anime is suffering here too.
I've been looking at the list of cartoons currently on air in the US and all but a handful of them could be considered action cartoons. I guess, with action figures maybe not being as big sellers as they used to, there's no more motivation from toy companies to seriously fund action cartoons anymore either. I think Justice League Action is the only true action cartoon to debut in 2016?
Tekkaman Blade II is overall worthy, if it was a bit 'off the rails' for the first three episodes. It gets SUPER dark in the final three, and maybe a little bit confusing but it still works. It's not essential viewing but I don't think it's wasted money. Given I've credited my "awakening from ennui" in 1992 to the double punch of Giant Robo the animation and Tekkaman Blade, I think I know of what I speak.
As to decent action anime now, if you're not watching Tiger Mask W, you're a chump. It's the most pure 'old style' anime I've seen in a LONG time.
Tekkaman Blade 2 is on blu-ray, so I definitely have it on my list to pick up sooner or later.
I'm pretty slow with new anime, so I'll get around to checking out Tiger Mask W eventually. You'll be glad to know I've started watching Gundam Build Fighters, though!
llj wrote:Tekkaman Blade 2 is on blu-ray, so I definitely have it on my list to pick up sooner or later.
I'm pretty slow with new anime, so I'll get around to checking out Tiger Mask W eventually. You'll be glad to know I've started watching Gundam Build Fighters, though!
Excellent! Don't be afraid to get sucked in and build a couple Gunpla when you watch. I thought Build Fighters Try was a bit better show because of the frightening fanservice aspect of the protagonist's mother in GBF.
Still, the trip to the Jion bar where Mr. Ral's crew hang out is just giddy 'real' fanservice (as opposed to the modern kind which means nothing more than boobs or butts or panty shots).
Finished Gundam Build Fighters...definitely will go for the sequel sometime soon.
Also picked up Discotek's Mazinger Z. Is it just me or do some of these 70s anime DVD releases have better video quality than some of the 80s and 90s anime on DVD? I've been very pleased with how Captain Harlock, Cutie Honey and Mazinger Z lhave looked on DVD. It also helps, I guess, that 70s anime used thicker lines and bolder color palettes which tend to age well, even if the actual animation quality varied. Those 70s guys knew what they were doing design-wise.
So many I wanna try!
