The Old School Otaku Lounge

Gunso wrote:"Jinrui was Suitai Shimashita"/"Humanity has Declined"

Anyone else watching?

I watched the two doujinshi episodes because I heard about them and that seemed like it'd be funny (it was), but I haven't watched the rest because most of what I've heard makes me feel I won't like it. (not generally a fan of the "theme" and most of the opinions in favor of the show come from people whose opinions I disagree with) But yeah, the two doujinshi episodes were funny.

BikeLover wrote:Sorry but need to get of my chest.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrBYsPJ0rkA
My sons 12th birthday is on the 3rd.

People that know me and wife will get that song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyE4CLM0QIA

Back to normal now.

Dunno if it's just the IPad but YouTube won't load these videos...

I dig the Fine Young Cannibals too, but let's keep music videos and such in the off-topic forum. This thread is about anime we're currently watching. Thanks.

Back to the topic though, my shipments from Rightstuf.com came today, with lots of goodness from Discotek! Panda Go Panda, Galaxy Express 999 movie, Space Adventure Cobra movie, Both volumes of the Gundam TV series, the complete Nadesico box set, and the Dirty Pair OVA series! Yay-ah!

I've been without Internet access for over a week now at home. Hopefully that will change as of tomorrow afternoon.

Lately we've been watching a lot of Lupin the 3rd, whichever season that Pioneer put out once upon a time. Over the weekend, we watched Panda Ko Panda with our daughter. (I don't know why Discotek renamed this to Panda Go Panda...)

I'm finally finishing up Cowboy Bebop. I always thought it was extremely overrated, and I after seeing 22 out of 26 episodes, I still think it's really lacking in the character and story department.

I don't feel attached at all to any of the characters. Their interactions just aren't there, the relationships don't develop. As a substitute for actually being interesting, the characters all have mysterious pasts, and the show follows this dumb pattern in many episodes that never works:

1) We learn about someone from a character's past.
2) Amazingly, this information becomes immediately relevant as this person from the past resurfaces.
3) An adventure is had, we learn some minor detail about the main character's history.
4) Said person from the past dies or goes to jail.

I don't care about the main characters enough to give a shit about their pasts, and the details we learn aren't interesting. Okay, Faye was once a little girl. Wow! Jet got his arm blown off...by his own partner! That we just met and therefore have no attachment to, so we don't really feel the betrayal.

Another problem in the show is the number of scenes where it tries a little too hard to be cool. These scenes usually involve lots of gratuitous cigarettes, jazz, smoky bars, playing pool, drinking cocktails. And then you have hokey shit like Jet's old partner loading only one bullet into his own revolver because, what, he wants to lose on purpose so Jet can win? 'Cause that's just so fucking cool, right? And then he asks for a cigarette as he dies just to punctuate how cool this shows is.

I really love the episodes where the show just has fun, like the refrigerator episode, and the teddy bear bomber chase. The ridiculous situations make for great spectacles, and the animation is beautiful. I wish the show just stuck with having fun and looking great, because when it tries to be cool or reveal a bit of a character's past, I just get bored.

danth wrote:I'm finally finishing up Cowboy Bebop. I always thought it was extremely overrated, and I after seeing 22 out of 26 episodes, I still think it's really lacking in the character and story department.

I don't feel attached at all to any of the characters. Their interactions just aren't there, the relationships don't develop. As a substitute for actually being interesting, the characters all have mysterious pasts, and the show follows this dumb pattern in many episodes that never works:

1) We learn about someone from a character's past.
2) Amazingly, this information becomes immediately relevant as this person from the past resurfaces.
3) An adventure is had, we learn some minor detail about the main character's history.
4) Said person from the past dies or goes to jail.

I don't care about the main characters enough to give a shit about their pasts, and the details we learn aren't interesting. Okay, Faye was once a little girl. Wow! Jet got his arm blown off...by his own partner! That we just met and therefore have no attachment to, so we don't really feel the betrayal.

Another problem in the show is the number of scenes where it tries a little too hard to be cool. These scenes usually involve lots of gratuitous cigarettes, jazz, smoky bars, playing pool, drinking cocktails. And then you have hokey shit like Jet's old partner loading only one bullet into his own revolver because, what, he wants to lose on purpose so Jet can win? 'Cause that's just so fucking cool, right? And then he asks for a cigarette as he dies just to punctuate how cool this shows is.

I really love the episodes where the show just has fun, like the refrigerator episode, and the teddy bear bomber chase. The ridiculous situations make for great spectacles, and the animation is beautiful. I wish the show just stuck with having fun and looking great, because when it tries to be cool or reveal a bit of a character's past, I just get bored.

Agreed, it gets far too much credit. All in all, I don't really groove with the whole "it suits the western audience" vibe. Part of what draws me to anime is that distinct Japanese-ness of it all. If I really need something for a western audience, I got Batman TAS, or Superman TAS, or Justice League (Unlimited), and so on.

Decided to do something I should have done a long time ago, cap "the World of Leiji Matsumoto" for Tim Eldred's Star Blazers fan site. That program was shown exactly once and exists on most websites as still pix. Going to send him the full program though he'll probably only use the Matsumoto meets the girls footage. my copy was off air from the original broadcast.

Oh my goodness, I'd love to see that "World Of Matsumoto" thing. I have only seen a 18th generation fuzzy barely watchable VHS dub (which strangely enough came from Tim).

Right now, I'm re-watching Bleach and Nin-Ni-Ga-Shinobu-Den (Ninja Nonsense: The Legend of Shinobu). The former needs no introduction, the latter is an absurdest comedy with tons of references to Japanese pop-culture.
I've only ever seen the first 20 episodes of Bleach. My intention is to finish the first story arc, which I've heard is the best considering all the filler that follows. I find the overall concept of a shinigami really cool. So far, my favorite character is Rukia. She makes a huge sacrifice, and is the glue that holds everything together.
Ninja Nonesense, to me, is just good dumb fun. The character of Onsokumaru steals the show, I feel; he's the ultimate mascot. I find this show to be in the same vane as Keroro Gunso (Sgt. Frog), albeit a bit more ecchi.

Daishikaze wrote:Agreed, it gets far too much credit. All in all, I don't really groove with the whole "it suits the western audience" vibe. Part of what draws me to anime is that distinct Japanese-ness of it all. If I really need something for a western audience, I got Batman TAS, or Superman TAS, or Justice League (Unlimited), and so on.

I'm not saying they don't exist, I'm sure they do, but I have yet to meet anyone that loves Cowboy Bebop that doesn't more or less IMMEDIATELY note it's "awesome jazz soundtrack". I am also not particularly a fan of the show (which is why it's INCESSANT repeats on American TV annoy me), it's decent enough but not as great as the American fandom makes it out to be. But then, I'm also not a fan of jazz.