What are you Watching?

[Char Aznable]

Over the last few weeks I've been watching all of the Ranma 1/2 OVAs. It's been a blast going back and revisiting them, and I forgot how much I enjoyed some of the plots, like the one where Shampoo gets a piece of cursed jewelry that makes her hate Ranma, or the one where the haunted doll possesses Akane.

I did re-watch the movies as well. For some reason I never liked the very first Ranma 1/2 movie, and I really can't put my finger on why. After seeing it again, my opinion hasn't swayed. That said, the second one was just as good as I remembered.

[usamimi]

Yeah currently Nozomi's YT channel is the only official place you can watch it streaming...Although I think if you have a hoopla account (a free media "rental" streaming service you can use with libraries) they have it there? At least they used to...

[Gaff]

Nozomi Entertainment has both Cobra and a ton of Dirty Pair on their Youtube channel. Since they're the license-holders, I imagine watching the episodes there is legal. I know Cobra's on Crunchyroll but do you know where else is Dirty Pair?

Yeah, afraid Nozomi's youtube is the only legal stream I'm aware of too - I'm watching the DVDs :/ It's a shame, I seem to remember that stream wasn't great quality either.

[Fvlminatvs]

Yeah, afraid Nozomi's youtube is the only legal stream I'm aware of too - I'm watching the DVDs :/ It's a shame, I seem to remember that stream wasn't great quality either.

Yeah, and they only got the first two or three episodes of the TV show, which is also a shame.

[karageko]

Went through Discotek's double feature releases of Unico and Barefoot Gen the past few days. First time seeing any of these movies for me, and they are excellent and well worth the purchase.

I was thinking of going through the recent Discotek release of the Baldios that I picked up, but to be honest given that it was made from footage that was originally for the final episodes of the TV series (that got cut short), I think it makes more sense for me to go watch the TV series first. Not sure when I'll get to that though.

[Gaff]

So, the Banana Fish anime started today.

I'd prefer if the mean streets of New York looked a bit... meaner, and more populated, but that aside, I was very impressed. From what little I've seen of the manga, the character art is pretty faithful, and MAPPA have done a great job with the animation - the fight scene at the end is particularly impressive.

[Char Aznable]

I picked up some anime DVDs fairly cheap last month, which included the Ninja Scroll TV series. So far I'm only on episode 4, but I'm enjoying it. I recall it getting some sour reviews years ago, but I haven't seen anything yet that I disliked.

I'm also re-watching Dragon Ball GT. I only viewed the series once in its entirety, probably back in 2002 or so. I liked it then, but I think I'm finding myself liking it more this time around. I can appreciate GT as a more successful--and certainly adventurous--sequel to Z than I can with Super. Better transformations, villains, plots, etc. I know I'm likely in the minority with this one, but GT had a charm and a distinct atmosphere that really set it apart from the franchise.

And, lastly, I'm diving into the Patlabor TV series. I'm about half-way through now (just getting to the Griffon story-arc). As fond as I am of the Patlabor OVAs, the TV series is fast becoming my favorite version of the Patlabor universe. The movies are visually appealing but, aside from that, they're not my cup of tea. I find the character-driven plots of the TV series to have more weight to them--or at the least, succeed in making me care about what's happening--as opposed to the three Patlabor films, which are plot-driven to the point where the characters seem like afterthoughts.

[danth]

Recently watched Dancouga which was thankfully watchable. Watched it over a few months with a friend which made it easier to get through all 40-odd episodes. But it was not bad!

Also watched Goku Midnight Eye on Amazon which was fun. Can't go wrong with Kawajiri.

[llj]

Finally on the way to finishing the original WMT Heidi, which I started watching in parts since 2015. This show is really, really, good and deserves the international acclaim it has received. It's better paced than Anne of Green Gables but doesn't feel rushed either. The psychological intensity for the Clara-Heidi friendship during the middle part of the show is surprisingly meaty and potent, but it always makes sure to be clear about their motivations and why they are behaving the way they are, without completely sledgehammering the audience with it. There are great little details like with Heidi initially going to live with the frail and disabled Clara and it's subtly underlined in numerous episodes how healthy and fit Heidi is compared to Clara at first. But as Heidi gets homesick for the mountains in later episodes, her health starts to go down while Clara's dependency on Heidi's presence and friendship improves Clara's own health--essentially sucking away Heidi's lifeforce. Awesome stuff for a family-friendly show.

It's a shame it never made it to North American TV during the 70s and 80s. It would have been a cult favorite at the very least.

[Char Aznable]

Recently watched Dancouga which was thankfully watchable. Watched it over a few months with a friend which made it easier to get through all 40-odd episodes. But it was not bad!

Also watched Goku Midnight Eye on Amazon which was fun. Can't go wrong with Kawajiri.

Being a huge Kawajiri fan, I'm ashamed to admit that I've never seen Goku Midnight Eye. I was completely unaware it was on Amazon Video, but I'll have to remedy that this weekend.

Amazon Prime streaming has been killing it lately with some of their anime titles. I spotted Iria: The Animation on there, and just watched Lily C.A.T. the other night. Surprisingly, for all of Lily C.A.T.'s blatant theft (or loving homage) of 1979's Alien, it was still an entertaining watch, especially for the ending.