What are you Watching?

[Animusubi]

I got bored with Claymore...I dunno, I couldn't get past the animation and the first two episodes. XD;;; But that's just me.

I recently watched the first episode of Dragon Quest: Legend of Hero Abel. I got into it real quick from the first episode, but I've been on a SNES RPG kick lately, so I was totally in the mood for it! I really wish someone would pick this up. The group fansubbing this series went MIA, and I'm really sad. I remember watching this when it was on tv as "Dragon Warrior" in the U.S., but I was only able to catch one episode. Only I think 13 were released here, but they didn't continue translating it due to too many perverted scenarios and things they couldn't edit out without chopping it up.

[greg]

I know what you mean, Ilj! At least with American movies, even if the protagonist realizes at the end that revenge is wrong and that he'd be no better than the badguy, the badguy ends up pulling out a gun or something at the end and the goodguy kills him in self-defense. Anime can be annoying. Another annoying thing is when they decide to not kill any enemies, and to win the war without killing anyone. Gundam 08th MS Team was like that, as well as a few others I can't think of at the moment.

[llj]

I got bored with Claymore...I dunno, I couldn't get past the animation and the first two episodes. XD;;; But that's just me.
.

There's no question that it is a really ugly looking series from a color perspective. It's like they took their color palette off someone's bruised knee.

I know what you mean, Ilj! At least with American movies, even if the protagonist realizes at the end that revenge is wrong and that he'd be no better than the badguy, the badguy ends up pulling out a gun or something at the end and the goodguy kills him in self-defense. Anime can be annoying. Another annoying thing is when they decide to not kill any enemies, and to win the war without killing anyone. Gundam 08th MS Team was like that, as well as a few others I can't think of at the moment.

It's a fairly recent phenomenon too. Offhand, I recall more anime in the 70s and 80s featuring "heroes" who would actually follow through with their revenge claims. Dagger of Kamui springs to mind. Galaxy Express 999. One of the Captain Harlock stories.

I know it's this thing today that there always has to be some sort of twist at the end of revenge stories, but I wish they didn't rely so often on the "Oh, I'd be no better than the badguy if I do this" trope. The comedic thing is that they always, ALWAYS get a conscience right when they get to the ultimate bad guy. The last 200 people you killed on your way to meeting the bad guy isn't a moral problem, but killing the guy who wronged you IS a moral problem? So hilarious.

[greg]

True! And another annoying cliche (in American movies, anyway) is that when they think that the badguy is dead, be it a man or some monster, suddenly he pops back up for one last surprise attack and is finally killed. Dude, just shoot him in the head until he stops moving. This happens so often that I can't even think of a single example. Also, I just woke up and it's Saturday morning...

[danth]

I got bored with Claymore...I dunno, I couldn't get past the animation and the first two episodes. XD;;; But that's just me.

I recently watched the first episode of Dragon Quest: Legend of Hero Abel. I got into it real quick from the first episode, but I've been on a SNES RPG kick lately, so I was totally in the mood for it! I really wish someone would pick this up. The group fansubbing this series went MIA, and I'm really sad. I remember watching this when it was on tv as "Dragon Warrior" in the U.S., but I was only able to catch one episode. Only I think 13 were released here, but they didn't continue translating it due to too many perverted scenarios and things they couldn't edit out without chopping it up.

Oh man, I would love this! Of course if you remember my letter to Animerica you already know this.

But yeah, that show was totally kick-ass. I remember waking up early on Sundays especially to see this, and then having the stupid idiots at the TV station forgetting to play the sound.

[Animusubi]

I got bored with Claymore...I dunno, I couldn't get past the animation and the first two episodes. XD;;; But that's just me.

I recently watched the first episode of Dragon Quest: Legend of Hero Abel. I got into it real quick from the first episode, but I've been on a SNES RPG kick lately, so I was totally in the mood for it! I really wish someone would pick this up. The group fansubbing this series went MIA, and I'm really sad. I remember watching this when it was on tv as "Dragon Warrior" in the U.S., but I was only able to catch one episode. Only I think 13 were released here, but they didn't continue translating it due to too many perverted scenarios and things they couldn't edit out without chopping it up.

Oh man, I would love this! Of course if you remember my letter to Animerica you already know this.

But yeah, that show was totally kick-ass. I remember waking up early on Sundays especially to see this, and then having the stupid idiots at the TV station forgetting to play the sound.

Yeah the fansub group ANBU was doing it, but they only got up to episode 11. There's really no other way to watch it otherwise. Since the Dragon Quest series was fairly popular here (especially IX for the DS) and DBZ was popular, I never understood why someone else didn't pick it up. It's classic RPG style faire with Toriyama designs. What's not to love?!

[greg]

Yes, it's a shame the Dragon Quest anime was never properly released on DVD in North America!

Last night we started watching the 2nd set of Gundam 0079 DVDs. My daughter has developed a crush on Kai, for some reason. Maybe it's his sleepy eyes or the goofy faces he makes, but she gets so excited when she sees him. Kai is a rather interesting character, a bit of a selfish rogue and a coward at first, but he really grows as a character, just as Amuro does. by Zeta, he's mature and adept. Come to think of it, he's the only one of the original mobile suit pilots who doesn't get killed in battle, as far as I know.

[llj]

True! And another annoying cliche (in American movies, anyway) is that when they think that the badguy is dead, be it a man or some monster, suddenly he pops back up for one last surprise attack and is finally killed. Dude, just shoot him in the head until he stops moving. This happens so often that I can't even think of a single example. Also, I just woke up and it's Saturday morning...

I'm recalling Die Hard.

Everyone remembers the part where McClane drops Hans "Professor Snape" Gruber off the building, but almost no one remembers near the end that the blond haired goon (who you thought McClane killed earlier in the film) stumbles out of the building and the guy from Family Matters shoots him. That's how lame these cliches are.

Metal Gear Solid also loves this cliche, with nearly every game in the series having the last boss yell "SNAAAKE! IT'S NOT OVER YET!!!"

Anyway, I watched Blue Drop, a weird mixture of school drama, yuri romance, slice of life, and alien invasion. Unfortunately, it was kind of boring. A lot of anime fans seem to go ga-ga over these slow, slice of life, "heartwarming" type of anime, but unless it's Studio Ghibli, they tend to bore me into a foggy stupor. The yuri romance didn't even raise the heat level of the show a single tad. It was kind of limp. I don't know why anime writers are so reluctant to portray any kind of romance passionately. Anime romances always seem to remain at the level of "Oh, you touched my hand!" *BLUSH*

Pathetic.

[greg]

I don't know why anime writers are so reluctant to portray any kind of romance passionately. Anime romances always seem to remain at the level of "Oh, you touched my hand!" *BLUSH*

Pathetic.

I agree, but I think it is also tactful. I work with kids in Japan, and I must say that they are far more innocent than American kids. American kids' shows are a pendulum swing in the opposite direction, and that pendulum keeps swinging in that direction. In the '90s there was 90210 with high school kids sleeping together, and now look at terrible movies like American Pie. There is far more sexual restraint in Japan (although Westerners who watch all TEH pr0n from J-land wouldn't realize this). They aren't "losing" their virginity by age 14 like the randy bastards in the USA are.

On the other hand, it's also good to see a role model who is a self-confident hero, instead of a moping, pathetic twit of a protagonist. Cobra is cool because he'll love a woman with confidence. You don't see that much anymore. It's just "oops, I saw her knickers! Nosebleed time!"

[llj]

That's interesting, Greg. What are your thoughts on those high school "call girls" that are often portrayed in Japanese movies? I'd say about 5/10 Japanese movies I've seen in the past 10 years have a scene where one of the female teenaged characters have some sort of "side job" hanging out with older guys for money. Is this overblown in Japanese pop culture, or just somewhat prevalent?