The Old School Otaku Lounge

I've been watching Viz's updated Sailor Moon release on Hulu. It's pretty fantastic so far--the picture quality is literally the BEST I've ever seen it (I noticed that, during the ending credits, the colorful blobs I assumed were flowers were actually A CITYSCAPE in the distance! What a difference a better picture makes! ) Also the sound quality seems much, much better than the old DVD release (Nitro pointed out you can actually tell what instruments were being played now, lol.) Their translation is pretty good, too--there's a few things they translated that made me wonder why they went with that choice (ie they changed her famous "In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!" to "In the name of the moon, you'll be punished!"...which isn't technically wrong, but at the same time, it's such a famous catch-phrase that I wonder why they went with a different wording.) But overall it's great so far, leaps and BOUNDS better than ADV or Geneon's old releases. I can't wait to start getting the DVD/blu-ray sets when they come out!

Other than that, I haven't been watching a ton of stuff lately...though hopefully that'll change soon with the new Sailor Moon Crystal just around the corner.

Have you seen the trailer for Crystla, usa?

I have been thoroughly enjoying Patlabor. I have only watched the first OAV and the first movie so far, but OMG, I love it. I am usually not big on mecha, but I like the sort of slice of life/comedy/cop drama of this series. It's fantastic, and some of my absolute favorite creators worked on it so I felt watching it was overdue. I am sad the manga translation was ceased after 2 volumes though. I really hope someone decides to pick it up again, I'd love to read it.

ryoran wrote:I have been thoroughly enjoying Patlabor. I have only watched the first OAV and the first movie so far, but OMG, I love it. I am usually not big on mecha, but I like the sort of slice of life/comedy/cop drama of this series. It's fantastic, and some of my absolute favorite creators worked on it so I felt watching it was overdue. I am sad the manga translation was ceased after 2 volumes though. I really hope someone decides to pick it up again, I'd love to read it.

So glad you're enjoying it! It really is a fun series. I wish someone'd pick up the manga again, too, but at 22 vols...It seems unlikely. Which is a real shame, it's just as good as the anime and what I have read of it I really enjoyed, too.

My wife and I love Patlabor. I was in either my senior year of high school or my first year or so in college when Viz stopped the Patlabor manga. I still have those two volumes, and it's sad they never resumed it. My wife has read the first several manga volumes in Japanese. She used to read them on the bus to work when we lived in the USA. (The best strategy to get lonely/bored people to leave you alone in the public transit system is to read something and/or listen to music. Unless of course you get the curious type who asks, "So, ah, whatcha readin'?" )

So you're talking about the original OVA, right? The Patlabor story has been rebooted so many times. There's the manga version, the OVA version, and the TV series version. There was also the OVA followup to the TV series, which starts with a bang with the return of the Griffon, and then ventures into the silliest stories of the entire show (my favorites are the alligator episode and the covert operation in the public bath house episode).

Patlabor came out before East and West Germany were united, so that comes into play in the alternate timeline reality of Patlabor. It's strange how kids today have no concept of a divided Germany with the iron curtain of communism. They really just don't know history.

As for myself, we've been watching occasional episodes of disc 2 of the Lupin 1st season box set. Privately, I still occasionally watch Nadesico episodes. I was actually in the mood to watch more of that Bodacious Space Pirates show, but as can be expected, they were yanked off of YouTube already. I lost my chance to watch it subtitled, apparently.

The Patlabor Early Days OVA is easily one of my favorites, and the Patlabor movies are easily my favorite Oshii things yet.

The whole Patlabor franchise is an interesting animal. I think someone here once mentioned that in the OVAs, the staff were still working out the kinks they borrowed from Urusei Yatsura, so everything has a more rounded, softer look to it. Once the TV series came about, they got Sunrise to help animate it, so the animation and design work had a more slicker look, and the characters and mecha look more "Gundam-ish".

I have to admit it somewhere, but the TV series isn't my cup of tea. The mecha-related material I like, but the rest I find average. And I honestly think the episodes and movies directed by Oshii are just excellent, but the TV series only has like...four? I think it was four, episodes, that were directed by him. And the first OVA just seemed to execute the whole comedic/slice of life aspect better.

I find the OVA and TV series about the same, personally. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. I think the TV series is a little better at the action aspects while the OVA is better at the slice of life aspects. The humour for both is the same, although I can't say I dig either the OVA or TV when they do those "Loch Ness Monster" type episodes.

The movie version of the sea monster was better, if you ask me.

Also, anyone watching Kawamori's new shows?