Another ridiculously long title, but it's translated as We Still Don't Know the Name of the Flower We Saw That Day, but for the sake of space, we can also call it AnoHana. Now of all the anime I've seen and reviewed so far, I can honestly say something like this is a first for me, and to some it can also be a little bit of a tear-jerker.
The anime centers around 6 individuals who were in their childhood a group called the Super Peace Busters. The story starts off on present day, but back then, one of the members, Meiko Honma dies in an accident, which somewhat triggered the drifting of the group. Years later, the former group leader, Jinta Yadomi, has become a hikikimori, with a drastic change in outlook, appearance, and behavior than his energetic childhood self. Isolating himself from the world, it's on a certain summer day that the departed comes back to him, looking slightly matured from back then. For him, time has ceased, but after hearing so from Meiko, or Menma, Jinta, called Jintan, gathers his now estranged friends to help not only recall her wish, but also fulfill it. However, this doesn't come without conflicts, whether it's from them, or the Honma family. To Jinta, she is nothing more than the Summer's Beast, but his inward feelings say otherwise. To help her move on, he must fulfill her wish, but does he really want that to happen? And what of their friends? With each bearing different conflicts with one another, will they ever reconcile through all of this?
Another fairly young anime from last year, it concluded with only 11 episodes that aired between April and June. It was never dubbed in English, and to my understanding is still without a U.S. license, but as with most newcomers, it was streamed via Crunchyroll. Made in the A-1 Pictures studio, the subsidiary of Aniplex also brought out titles like Working!! and Birdy the Mighty: Decode. Jinta's voice is covered by sieyuu Miyu Irino, while Ai Kayano covers Meiko. A slice of life drama, it also has it's share of romance, as well as tragedy. Galileo Galilei provided the opening theme to this anime, who also did such for the ongoing Mobile Suit Gundam AGE anime.
As short as it is, there was nothing I disliked about it. AnoHana had me in from start to finish, though in all honestly, for a while I passed up on it until just recently. It didn't amaze me, but it had me focused, so I say a 7 of 10 here. Not great in my opinion, but it is a beauty of one, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if there was talk about it somewhere.
2012/02/20
CXCVIII: "Princess Jellyfish"
I was on the fence about this one, but ultimately accepted this anime for what it was. Princess Jellyfish deals with characters that are perceived as otaku, and this title isn't the first to do it. Still, the series is young, and somewhat short.
The tenants of Amamizukan are otaku that are all female, with a prohibition against males. Among the group, each with their own fixation, the key figure here is a girl who loves jellyfish, coming from memories of her deceased mother. Tsukimi Kurashita is a socially awkward girl, terrified of attractive people, social interactions and formal work prospects. The other tenants, being a mix of NEETs and Fujoshi (Yaoi Lovers), have the same issues, referring themselves as Amars (or nuns, I would assume.) Things change gradually for Tsukimi, however, when she meets a woman of the glamorous kind. Well, quoting Yusuke Urameshi (YuYu Hakusho): "It turns out our Mrs. is a Mr." Kuranoskue Koibuchi is a stylist that cross-dresses, mainly to avoid the political scene, as he is the illegitimate son of a politician. Call it an awkward chance meeting, but Tsukimi must keep his identity under wraps so that the other tenants don't find out, of course, there are other problems she deals with, and Kuranosuke isn't above helping her out, but for what reason? Being total opposites, any possible bonding between them is unlikely... or is it?
Princess Jellyfish is a romantic comedy that's shorter than your common anime of the same genre, running only 11 episodes to date. The studio Brain's Base created the animation, being licensed for US distribution and dubbing under Funimation. It's actually more than a year old, and they streamed the first 2 episodes last month, though the DVD and Blu-Ray sets were announced recently after approval from a Facebook fan survey. Tsukimi is voiced by Maxey Whitehead (who voices Al Elric for Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and Dragon Ball Z Kai's Dende), while Kuranosuke/Kurako is voiced by Josh Grelle (who voiced Itsuki Takeuchi of the Funimation-dubbed Initial D anime, as well as Hammer of Xenosaga: The Animation.)
A romantic comedy without some off-the-wall antics normally seen, Princess Jellyfish counts as a softie-anime, but that's not to ridicule it. I say a 7 of 10 is fine for this title.
The tenants of Amamizukan are otaku that are all female, with a prohibition against males. Among the group, each with their own fixation, the key figure here is a girl who loves jellyfish, coming from memories of her deceased mother. Tsukimi Kurashita is a socially awkward girl, terrified of attractive people, social interactions and formal work prospects. The other tenants, being a mix of NEETs and Fujoshi (Yaoi Lovers), have the same issues, referring themselves as Amars (or nuns, I would assume.) Things change gradually for Tsukimi, however, when she meets a woman of the glamorous kind. Well, quoting Yusuke Urameshi (YuYu Hakusho): "It turns out our Mrs. is a Mr." Kuranoskue Koibuchi is a stylist that cross-dresses, mainly to avoid the political scene, as he is the illegitimate son of a politician. Call it an awkward chance meeting, but Tsukimi must keep his identity under wraps so that the other tenants don't find out, of course, there are other problems she deals with, and Kuranosuke isn't above helping her out, but for what reason? Being total opposites, any possible bonding between them is unlikely... or is it?
Princess Jellyfish is a romantic comedy that's shorter than your common anime of the same genre, running only 11 episodes to date. The studio Brain's Base created the animation, being licensed for US distribution and dubbing under Funimation. It's actually more than a year old, and they streamed the first 2 episodes last month, though the DVD and Blu-Ray sets were announced recently after approval from a Facebook fan survey. Tsukimi is voiced by Maxey Whitehead (who voices Al Elric for Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood and Dragon Ball Z Kai's Dende), while Kuranosuke/Kurako is voiced by Josh Grelle (who voiced Itsuki Takeuchi of the Funimation-dubbed Initial D anime, as well as Hammer of Xenosaga: The Animation.)
A romantic comedy without some off-the-wall antics normally seen, Princess Jellyfish counts as a softie-anime, but that's not to ridicule it. I say a 7 of 10 is fine for this title.
Ev8: Tigercon
Last year, I was at Towson University deep in Virginia, where another convention, Tigercon, took place. The painful bit is that it wasn't Metro-accessible, but like any anime con, it had the standard stuff available.
Not a lot to say about it though. As far as conventions in general, Tigercon is pretty small compared to the 3 main targets for anime lovers. Photos of a few cosplayers I saw there, as well as a few videos are uploaded on my FB page, but I'm sure telling people this in general is irrelevant. I may soon make a page or two for photos and videos on this blog, so be patient. Still, while travel was a problem, they were nice enough to allow us to eat at their cafeteria, which was essentially an all-you-can-eat buffet (but with minors there, Sake was out of the question.)
Even so, it was a nice time, despite only being around for one day, and I hope that they go for it again with more things available. Seiko Takeda, once again signing off.
Not a lot to say about it though. As far as conventions in general, Tigercon is pretty small compared to the 3 main targets for anime lovers. Photos of a few cosplayers I saw there, as well as a few videos are uploaded on my FB page, but I'm sure telling people this in general is irrelevant. I may soon make a page or two for photos and videos on this blog, so be patient. Still, while travel was a problem, they were nice enough to allow us to eat at their cafeteria, which was essentially an all-you-can-eat buffet (but with minors there, Sake was out of the question.)
Even so, it was a nice time, despite only being around for one day, and I hope that they go for it again with more things available. Seiko Takeda, once again signing off.
Ev7: Katsucon 18
Originally, it was doubtful I would even go, but as a club officer, I did get dibs in going to Katsucon 18 at the National Harbor, running its eighteenth year. I'm sure a few are wondering like "Wasn't he there LAST month!?" To answer, yeah, I was, but so were a few other recognizable faces.
In the east coast, it's one of the main anime conventions around, the others being AnimeUSA and Otakon. I couldn't score any Gundam kits this time around, and a relative of mine was supposedly there, but I did get to reunite with old friends, as well as some cosplayers I saw from this other convention named Tigercon (which I'll talk about next, photos of that are on my FB page.) I saw one of the guys from ScrewAttack once again, as well as our other partners T-Mode, with their con just 2 months away. Aside from the usual things, I found myself watching the Masquarade event in the Potomac Hall of the Gaylord. Very interesting to say the least, but around this time the World Cosplay Summit was also happening. Friends Melissa, Rusty and Penny was part of it, and did well on stage. In fact, personally, I think that their skit, the wooing skit with Kakashi, Tobi, and Sasuke from Naruto, and the "Ocarina of Time" in 5 minutes number for Legend of Zelda stood out.
The con had their issues, such as an accidental spillage as well as the fact that people weren't doing their proper shifts (which was why I was there). The price for food and concessions were still a pain to deal with, but it was a fun time. Not the best one, but it was a blast. Sitting at the table also had its merits, but I won't get into that here... yet. I can only imagine what Katsucon 19 will have in store, but we'll just have to wait on that. Other cons such as AnimeUSA, Otakon, T-Mode, and for out first time appearing Balticon, are approaching. I'll try to keep you up in the know about these events, but for now, I'm getting a bit of a headache. Seiko Takeda, once again signing off.
In the east coast, it's one of the main anime conventions around, the others being AnimeUSA and Otakon. I couldn't score any Gundam kits this time around, and a relative of mine was supposedly there, but I did get to reunite with old friends, as well as some cosplayers I saw from this other convention named Tigercon (which I'll talk about next, photos of that are on my FB page.) I saw one of the guys from ScrewAttack once again, as well as our other partners T-Mode, with their con just 2 months away. Aside from the usual things, I found myself watching the Masquarade event in the Potomac Hall of the Gaylord. Very interesting to say the least, but around this time the World Cosplay Summit was also happening. Friends Melissa, Rusty and Penny was part of it, and did well on stage. In fact, personally, I think that their skit, the wooing skit with Kakashi, Tobi, and Sasuke from Naruto, and the "Ocarina of Time" in 5 minutes number for Legend of Zelda stood out.
The con had their issues, such as an accidental spillage as well as the fact that people weren't doing their proper shifts (which was why I was there). The price for food and concessions were still a pain to deal with, but it was a fun time. Not the best one, but it was a blast. Sitting at the table also had its merits, but I won't get into that here... yet. I can only imagine what Katsucon 19 will have in store, but we'll just have to wait on that. Other cons such as AnimeUSA, Otakon, T-Mode, and for out first time appearing Balticon, are approaching. I'll try to keep you up in the know about these events, but for now, I'm getting a bit of a headache. Seiko Takeda, once again signing off.
CXCVII: "Yu-Gi-Oh! GX"
The successor to Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, Yu-Gi-Oh! GX features a new setting, new characters, new cards and monsters, but revolve around the same old game. As opposed to Yugi Moto, another duelist takes the stage as out focal character. In chronology, it takes place 10 years after Duel Monsters.
The triagonist from the previous series, Seto Kaiba, founded the Duelist Academy, an institution that guides young people in the ways of Duel Monsters. To graduate, the student must give it their best and stand above all in skill. In the Duelist Academy, there exist different instructors and students are placed in 3 Dorms named after the Egyptian God Monsters: Obelisk Blue, Slifer Red, and Ra Yellow. In order, the class scales range from Obelisk, Ra, and then Slifer as the lowest tier. Jaden, who has skill and potential yet isn't critical about dueling, is a Slifer Red at the start, after obtaining a Winged Kuribo from champion Yugi Muto, the monster being Jaden's spirit monster akin to Yugi's Kuriboh. From then on he duels like a good sportsman, but when things take a darker turn, he isn't above fighting for what's right. Assisted with various monsters he gains, as well as friends/fellow duelists, Jaden must make it through Duelist Academy, mowing down whatever comes his way as a threat. Once again, It's Time to Duel!
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, like it's predecessor, is relatively long, lasting for 180 episodes, the season count being 4. While not addressed here in America, here's how they were broken up:
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX is a mainstream successor/spinoff, with just as much games, cards, and other media to offer as Duel Monsters. GX scores 7 of 10, which is slightly less than it's predecessor, which was still between that and an 8 of 10.
The triagonist from the previous series, Seto Kaiba, founded the Duelist Academy, an institution that guides young people in the ways of Duel Monsters. To graduate, the student must give it their best and stand above all in skill. In the Duelist Academy, there exist different instructors and students are placed in 3 Dorms named after the Egyptian God Monsters: Obelisk Blue, Slifer Red, and Ra Yellow. In order, the class scales range from Obelisk, Ra, and then Slifer as the lowest tier. Jaden, who has skill and potential yet isn't critical about dueling, is a Slifer Red at the start, after obtaining a Winged Kuribo from champion Yugi Muto, the monster being Jaden's spirit monster akin to Yugi's Kuriboh. From then on he duels like a good sportsman, but when things take a darker turn, he isn't above fighting for what's right. Assisted with various monsters he gains, as well as friends/fellow duelists, Jaden must make it through Duelist Academy, mowing down whatever comes his way as a threat. Once again, It's Time to Duel!
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, like it's predecessor, is relatively long, lasting for 180 episodes, the season count being 4. While not addressed here in America, here's how they were broken up:
- Season 1: Seven Stars - Eps. 1-52
- Season 2: Society of Light - Eps. 53-104
- Season 3: Dimension World - Eps. 105-156
- Season 4: Darkness - Eps. 157-180
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX is a mainstream successor/spinoff, with just as much games, cards, and other media to offer as Duel Monsters. GX scores 7 of 10, which is slightly less than it's predecessor, which was still between that and an 8 of 10.
2012/02/16
CXCVI: "Dragon Ball Z Kai"
I gotta head to Katsucon tomorrow for table shifts, so what better time than now to do an anime review before that day? This time it's another mainstream title that has been redone, becoming the talk of the net for both good and bad. That's right, we're digging in another Toei work, and one of the famous ones that's been redone time and again, focusing on the latest incarnation: Dragon Ball Z Kai.
Those familiar with the background of the story knows what characters are involved. The sequel to Dragon Ball, Goku has grown up to be a loving defender, friend, and following the end of Dragon Ball, a husband and father. However, the Dragon Balls still exist as well, and that's the only reason evil needs to reveal its ugly head. Taking the mantle once more, Goku, Krillin, and a few other familiar faces that have grown, reprise their roles as the Earth's final defense, with his son Gohan dishing some punishment as well (much to the chagrin of his mother, Chichi.) Any other details can be found in my general Dragon Ball series review, found in post XIX.
Dragon Ball Z Kai lasts for 98 episodes total, 97 main and 1 EXTRA episode in the dub, though in the original Japanese Dragon Ball Kai series, it's episode 98, the true final episode. Unlike before, it ends with the Cell Saga, as all production ceased after the last episode's creation. Plus with all the filler material taken out, the episodes are significantly shorter, focusing more on the action this time around. As when the majority of Dragon Ball Z had a music score dune by Bruce Falconer, Keiji Yamamoto took that role for DBZ Kai, at least for the majority of the series. The latter few episodes would have the score from Shunsuke Kikuchi of the original Dragon Ball Z, reprising his musical role for the latter few episodes. This happened because of a copyright infringement scenario Toei Animation caught wind of, as Yamamoto cited his music score from an undisclosed third party source, thus he was taken off of DBZ Kai as composer (which means that probably for DBZ in general, he isn't composing for any more games either, as this incident was known back from May of 2010.) One track I remember him for was the Ginyu Force theme "Take the Stage! Ginyu Special Squad!" (the song plays when the Ginyu Force introduce themselves to Frieza, and only has the words "Ginyu Force Rules!" in the dub) in DBZ Kai.
The theme is Dragon Soul, while sung solo in the original by Takayoshi Tanimoto, in the dub, various voice actors sing different versions, in the order of Sean Schemmel, Justin Cook, Vic Mignogna, Greg Ayres, Sonny Strait, and Brina Palencia. The aforementioned voice actors respectively voice the roles for Goku (Schemmel), Raditz (Cook), Burter/Broly (Mignogna), Guldo (Ayres), Krillin (Strait), and Chiaotzu (Palencia). Speaking of voice acting, the dialogue is redone to fit it closer to the original script, and with using the experience gained in past experiences, Funimation once again licensed and dubbed the series, with recurring voice actors delivering better performances. There are a few changes however, as Palencia replaces Monika Antonelli for Chiaotzu's voice, Tiffany Vollmer is replaced by Monica Rial as the voice of Bulma, and Gohan would no longer be voiced by Stephanie Nadolny. Instead, Colleen Clinkenbeard voices both his child and teen versions, while she also replaces Meredith McCoy as the voice of Android 18.
Dragon Ball Z Kai got its mix of lovers and haters, but for a revision of the popular anime, it's well deserving for the praise it received. I won't say it's the best anime in general, but of all the time it has been remade, it's the best one I've seen as of yet, scoring an 8 of 10.
Those familiar with the background of the story knows what characters are involved. The sequel to Dragon Ball, Goku has grown up to be a loving defender, friend, and following the end of Dragon Ball, a husband and father. However, the Dragon Balls still exist as well, and that's the only reason evil needs to reveal its ugly head. Taking the mantle once more, Goku, Krillin, and a few other familiar faces that have grown, reprise their roles as the Earth's final defense, with his son Gohan dishing some punishment as well (much to the chagrin of his mother, Chichi.) Any other details can be found in my general Dragon Ball series review, found in post XIX.
Dragon Ball Z Kai lasts for 98 episodes total, 97 main and 1 EXTRA episode in the dub, though in the original Japanese Dragon Ball Kai series, it's episode 98, the true final episode. Unlike before, it ends with the Cell Saga, as all production ceased after the last episode's creation. Plus with all the filler material taken out, the episodes are significantly shorter, focusing more on the action this time around. As when the majority of Dragon Ball Z had a music score dune by Bruce Falconer, Keiji Yamamoto took that role for DBZ Kai, at least for the majority of the series. The latter few episodes would have the score from Shunsuke Kikuchi of the original Dragon Ball Z, reprising his musical role for the latter few episodes. This happened because of a copyright infringement scenario Toei Animation caught wind of, as Yamamoto cited his music score from an undisclosed third party source, thus he was taken off of DBZ Kai as composer (which means that probably for DBZ in general, he isn't composing for any more games either, as this incident was known back from May of 2010.) One track I remember him for was the Ginyu Force theme "Take the Stage! Ginyu Special Squad!" (the song plays when the Ginyu Force introduce themselves to Frieza, and only has the words "Ginyu Force Rules!" in the dub) in DBZ Kai.
The theme is Dragon Soul, while sung solo in the original by Takayoshi Tanimoto, in the dub, various voice actors sing different versions, in the order of Sean Schemmel, Justin Cook, Vic Mignogna, Greg Ayres, Sonny Strait, and Brina Palencia. The aforementioned voice actors respectively voice the roles for Goku (Schemmel), Raditz (Cook), Burter/Broly (Mignogna), Guldo (Ayres), Krillin (Strait), and Chiaotzu (Palencia). Speaking of voice acting, the dialogue is redone to fit it closer to the original script, and with using the experience gained in past experiences, Funimation once again licensed and dubbed the series, with recurring voice actors delivering better performances. There are a few changes however, as Palencia replaces Monika Antonelli for Chiaotzu's voice, Tiffany Vollmer is replaced by Monica Rial as the voice of Bulma, and Gohan would no longer be voiced by Stephanie Nadolny. Instead, Colleen Clinkenbeard voices both his child and teen versions, while she also replaces Meredith McCoy as the voice of Android 18.
Dragon Ball Z Kai got its mix of lovers and haters, but for a revision of the popular anime, it's well deserving for the praise it received. I won't say it's the best anime in general, but of all the time it has been remade, it's the best one I've seen as of yet, scoring an 8 of 10.
2012/02/05
CXCV: "Sonic X"
I can't believe I still consider this an anime, but it seems most places on the net does so as well. Sonic X is almost self explanatory to those who know of the titular hedgehog, but for the sake of this blog, I will of course review it and give my take on the matter. Released as part of FoxBox, this title has seen airtime as well as its share of bashings. And I say bashings loosely, given primarily of those came from the Sonic "Fanbase", if I must say. This was supposedly made in a linked continuity with the games, having the game companies work in partnership with an animation studio to make it, though it was through the 4Kids licensing that the show came to be here in the states.
Sonic the Hedgehog is seen raiding the HQ of Dr. Ivo Robotnik/Eggman (much like nearly every single game made) on a mission to rescue Cream the Rabbit and her tiny Chao, Cheese. However, when all 7 Chaos Emeralds come together, a strange phenomenon occurs which flings Sonic. Cream, Eggman, as well as the other characters from their dimension to another with humans. In a way, they have flung to Earth, and during a getaway from the police, he is saved from drowning by a kid named (here comes the fan rage...) Chris Thorndyke, whose pool Sonic ends up in before meeting. Trapped in this world of humans, Sonic and Co. must lay low under Chris' home, with only Chris, his grandfather, the maid Ella, and the butler Tanaka knowing of their existence. While they do, they must also find the Chaos Emeralds should they wish to return, but with Eggman in this world as well, it will not be such a simple task. Then again, with Sonic up against Eggman, it's never simple, is it?
Spanning 3 seasons, Sonic X ran for a total of 78 episodes, its run finished, and the premier season available by internet means (not that people bother to watch.) I mentioned earlier that this has some tied continuity with the games, supposedly this is declared so (can't say for sure.) What I CAN say, though, is that mostly in the second season, you'll see plots of Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2, as well as Sonic Battle. To those who don't know, Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 are games that were for Sega Dreamcast, and remade for Nintendo Gamecube, with the first Adventure (remade as Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut) being remade as a downloadable full game, via Sony's Playstation Network, and Microsoft's Xbox Live. Sonic Battle is a Game Boy Advance title that was a fighting game. Before I stray off focal point, the anime was created by Sonic Project and game creator Sonic Team, being produced in a joint partnership between Tokyo Movie Shinsha, or TMS Entertainment, and Sega. Like any anime, to keep it towards a kid-friendly audience (as it was on FoxBox, and is still around today as part of Toonzai), censorship came into play. And I mentioned this before in my Mega Man NT Warrior review on post XXXII, but this is one of the handful of titles I've seen that features different tones in dubbing, and part of the backlash stems from this.
Better yet, let's get into why it gets the reception that it does. I feel this may waste some otherwise useful time, but I feel as though I must get this out of the way, unless I want this to eat away at me.
Sonic X had some hits and misses. Overall, not a bad anime, but it was received somewhat poorly in America. Grading, I'll leave it as a 6 of 10. Some parts in there did have me a tad annoyed, but not worth dragging to the dirt. Besides, in the end, it's just another TV anime dealing with my favorite hedgehog, so despite how bad they tend to mess up, I can't run it into the ground as a fan (which is saying a lot compared to other "fans"...)
Sonic the Hedgehog is seen raiding the HQ of Dr. Ivo Robotnik/Eggman (much like nearly every single game made) on a mission to rescue Cream the Rabbit and her tiny Chao, Cheese. However, when all 7 Chaos Emeralds come together, a strange phenomenon occurs which flings Sonic. Cream, Eggman, as well as the other characters from their dimension to another with humans. In a way, they have flung to Earth, and during a getaway from the police, he is saved from drowning by a kid named (here comes the fan rage...) Chris Thorndyke, whose pool Sonic ends up in before meeting. Trapped in this world of humans, Sonic and Co. must lay low under Chris' home, with only Chris, his grandfather, the maid Ella, and the butler Tanaka knowing of their existence. While they do, they must also find the Chaos Emeralds should they wish to return, but with Eggman in this world as well, it will not be such a simple task. Then again, with Sonic up against Eggman, it's never simple, is it?
Spanning 3 seasons, Sonic X ran for a total of 78 episodes, its run finished, and the premier season available by internet means (not that people bother to watch.) I mentioned earlier that this has some tied continuity with the games, supposedly this is declared so (can't say for sure.) What I CAN say, though, is that mostly in the second season, you'll see plots of Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2, as well as Sonic Battle. To those who don't know, Sonic Adventure 1 and 2 are games that were for Sega Dreamcast, and remade for Nintendo Gamecube, with the first Adventure (remade as Sonic Adventure DX: Director's Cut) being remade as a downloadable full game, via Sony's Playstation Network, and Microsoft's Xbox Live. Sonic Battle is a Game Boy Advance title that was a fighting game. Before I stray off focal point, the anime was created by Sonic Project and game creator Sonic Team, being produced in a joint partnership between Tokyo Movie Shinsha, or TMS Entertainment, and Sega. Like any anime, to keep it towards a kid-friendly audience (as it was on FoxBox, and is still around today as part of Toonzai), censorship came into play. And I mentioned this before in my Mega Man NT Warrior review on post XXXII, but this is one of the handful of titles I've seen that features different tones in dubbing, and part of the backlash stems from this.
Better yet, let's get into why it gets the reception that it does. I feel this may waste some otherwise useful time, but I feel as though I must get this out of the way, unless I want this to eat away at me.
- Americanizing -
While I have almost nothing against censorship in anime at times, the tweakings made in anime, or what is called Americanizing, can and will get overboard. In Sonic X, the dialogue is one such instance. In the games, it is known that Sonic tends to make a few puns every now and then, but they kind of go overboard here, which heavily offsets the mature theme the original script featured. I saw fans get irked by this, and I can see why. there is a time and a place, even in anime, for humor, but when dubbing, it appears 4Kids omitted the serious tone, adding a lot more humor in the dialogue to keep it tamed. - Adaptations -
Any media that can reference their book or game counterparts is fine by me. In fact, I more or less expected some games to make it as plot devices, seeing as how the group Archie Comics have long done so in their Sonic the Hedgehog comic books. My concern is HOW they were adapted. Call it being a fanboy and what not, but in spite of him being one of the two main characters, I didn't feel it was necessary to actually place Chris in the very reenactments of the story's key moments, like before Shadow's battle against the prototype. And some battles were shortened greatly, mainly referring to Perfect Chaos. - Character -
Now granted some may think so, I have nothing against Chris Thorndyke, but he has been the target of the bashing of Sonic X. Naturally, I could only imagine how people reacted to seeing his face on a sign in Sonic Adventure DX. I can't say I like him, but to wish for him to die or be removed from there... that was harsh. Believe it or not, this is generally the type of feedback I see when this title comes up. Granted, almost half of these people most likely also had a fit with Sonic The Hedgehog (2006 game), and if it wasn't for the load times or gameplay, then it would be about... another human, Princess Elise. Back to the topic though, Chris Thorndyke shares the same spot as Relena Peacecraft of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: as in being the most hated character in an anime, despite being a MAJOR character. At least, it's like this due to the fan reactions.
Sonic X had some hits and misses. Overall, not a bad anime, but it was received somewhat poorly in America. Grading, I'll leave it as a 6 of 10. Some parts in there did have me a tad annoyed, but not worth dragging to the dirt. Besides, in the end, it's just another TV anime dealing with my favorite hedgehog, so despite how bad they tend to mess up, I can't run it into the ground as a fan (which is saying a lot compared to other "fans"...)
2012/02/04
CXCIV: "Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters"
The name Yu-Gi-Oh! is a common mainstream title known everywhere, due to the cards, video games, manga, and the various anime bearing the name. Despite being the second one in origin, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters was the first anime title of the franchise to hit the states. A little insider: as with the Pokemon franchise, the anime featured the merchandise as the plot device for the anime. A little outside my usual forte, but I'll get to the anime AS WELL as a bit of its Trading Card background in this post.
First, the anime named Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters. Titular and focal character Yugi Muto is a short, pure-hearted high school student, whose grandfather runs a card shop. He is also a skilled card player, which are referred to as Duelists, complete with his own deck of trading cards. He is handed, prior to the first episode, fragments of an Egyptian artifact, known as the Millennium Puzzle, one of a handful of mysterious items. Assembling it, he becomes the host of an ancient spirit, the Pharoah (who is addressed to viewers as Yami Yugi), who suffers amnesia, bearing no recollection of his past. Events kick in when skilled Duelist Seto Kaiba, the CEO of KaibaCorp, visits Yugi's grandpa Solomon, who ends up kidnapped and beaten for the rare Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Defeating him with skill and the "Heart of the Cards", he is soon challenged again by many others, starting with Maximillion Pegasus onward. Assisted by his friends Joey Wheeler, Tea Garner, and Tristan Taylor, among other characters, Yugi and Yami must throw down against any Duelist standing before them, while finding the memories of the Pharoah. To them, it's more than just a game...
The anime span for 5 seasons. Airing on Kids WB initially, this title found its way to The CW4Kids (currently called Toonzai), the Saturday morning block for The CW which is owned by 4Kids Entertainment (which is in ways ironic, because WB changed into CW as of 2006, so in a way, it came right back to the premiering channel...) Each season obviously dealt with a new plot, and as more monsters debuted, the cards would surface all the same. As follows, this is how all 224 episodes were broken up:
Since its debut, it was dubbed in English by 4Kids Entertainment, who is still ongoing despite issues concerning this series and companies TV Tokyo and Nihon Ad Systems or NAS, who aired the anime in Japan prior to the U.S. License. Though this helped trigger the conflict, Funimation had their own dubbed viersion, which used the names of the Americanized 4Kids version, but had the settings of the original, taking place in Japan instead of the U.S. Funimation's also featured mild profanity, and followed closely to the original script. Only 3 DVDs were made, composing of the first 9 episodes, that were released. The fourth was finished, but legal issues, as well as the "competition" with the edited 4Kids episodes led to its uncertain status on whether or not it will resume. The role of Yugi was voiced in English by Dan Green (who voiced Ryuggi/Ryuji of DNA² and was the voice of Knuckles the Echidna for some of the Sonic the Hedgehog games as well as the anime Sonic X), while Chuck Powers (who voiced Richard Moore of Case Closed, as well as Uchi and the Principal in the anime Gokusen) voiced another English version that was released in Singapore. While each featured an opening and ending track done by a Japanese singer, the American versions lacks this, instead using mostly instrumental theme (which they alternate with each season), that features an anime voice clip saying "It's Time to Duel!" as the opening and ending theme.
Before grading, I promised to touch a little about the Trading Card Game this anime revolves from. Made by game company Konami, the monsters seen in the manga, created by Kazuki Takahashi, are made into cards people duel and trade with. Over the years, it has been revised under different rules and regulations, to ensure fair play, though usually one finds a way around this to make a nearly unbeatable strategy. Unlike the anime, the Monsters aren't projected and they don't come to life either, which is prominently seen in the anime. Moreover, certain cards aren't made to be used, while others are merely anime-exclusive. The Duel Disks, which debuted around the second season, were made as toys/accessories for fans. As the franchise progressed, the Duel Disks were used much more prominently and even featured new designs, extending into Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds, and the recent Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal.
Initially, while Konami was the sole mastermind behind this cash cow, popular trading card distributor Upper Deck released the cards in America prior to the end of 2008, when Konami found out and sued Upper Deck for illegal distribution. A year later, Upper Deck was held liable for counterfeiting the TCG cards, and Konami, to this day, is the sole distributor of the cards, despite that other companies also make false copies of the said cards, sometimes trying to make it authentic, and even including the officially banned/exclusive monsters as cards. The TCG tournaments, sponsored by Konami, only uses the authentic cards distributed by them, the cards sold in packs and collectible tins in various stores, though some exclusive cards are obtained through other official means.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters had a long run, and while I don't favor much mainstream, it's between a 7 and 8 of 10 for me in general. Anime like this is made to help sales of the merchandise, and it did that well, because hadn't this surfaced in America, I would ignore the Trading Card Game still going on to this day.
First, the anime named Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters. Titular and focal character Yugi Muto is a short, pure-hearted high school student, whose grandfather runs a card shop. He is also a skilled card player, which are referred to as Duelists, complete with his own deck of trading cards. He is handed, prior to the first episode, fragments of an Egyptian artifact, known as the Millennium Puzzle, one of a handful of mysterious items. Assembling it, he becomes the host of an ancient spirit, the Pharoah (who is addressed to viewers as Yami Yugi), who suffers amnesia, bearing no recollection of his past. Events kick in when skilled Duelist Seto Kaiba, the CEO of KaibaCorp, visits Yugi's grandpa Solomon, who ends up kidnapped and beaten for the rare Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Defeating him with skill and the "Heart of the Cards", he is soon challenged again by many others, starting with Maximillion Pegasus onward. Assisted by his friends Joey Wheeler, Tea Garner, and Tristan Taylor, among other characters, Yugi and Yami must throw down against any Duelist standing before them, while finding the memories of the Pharoah. To them, it's more than just a game...
The anime span for 5 seasons. Airing on Kids WB initially, this title found its way to The CW4Kids (currently called Toonzai), the Saturday morning block for The CW which is owned by 4Kids Entertainment (which is in ways ironic, because WB changed into CW as of 2006, so in a way, it came right back to the premiering channel...) Each season obviously dealt with a new plot, and as more monsters debuted, the cards would surface all the same. As follows, this is how all 224 episodes were broken up:
- Season 1: Episodes 1 - 49
- Season 2 - Battle City Duelists: Episodes 50 - 97
- Season 3 - Enter the shadow Realm: Episodes 98 - 144
- Season 4 - Waking the Dragons: Episodes 145 - 184
- Season 5 - Grand Championship/Dawn of the Duel: Episodes 185 - 224
Since its debut, it was dubbed in English by 4Kids Entertainment, who is still ongoing despite issues concerning this series and companies TV Tokyo and Nihon Ad Systems or NAS, who aired the anime in Japan prior to the U.S. License. Though this helped trigger the conflict, Funimation had their own dubbed viersion, which used the names of the Americanized 4Kids version, but had the settings of the original, taking place in Japan instead of the U.S. Funimation's also featured mild profanity, and followed closely to the original script. Only 3 DVDs were made, composing of the first 9 episodes, that were released. The fourth was finished, but legal issues, as well as the "competition" with the edited 4Kids episodes led to its uncertain status on whether or not it will resume. The role of Yugi was voiced in English by Dan Green (who voiced Ryuggi/Ryuji of DNA² and was the voice of Knuckles the Echidna for some of the Sonic the Hedgehog games as well as the anime Sonic X), while Chuck Powers (who voiced Richard Moore of Case Closed, as well as Uchi and the Principal in the anime Gokusen) voiced another English version that was released in Singapore. While each featured an opening and ending track done by a Japanese singer, the American versions lacks this, instead using mostly instrumental theme (which they alternate with each season), that features an anime voice clip saying "It's Time to Duel!" as the opening and ending theme.
Before grading, I promised to touch a little about the Trading Card Game this anime revolves from. Made by game company Konami, the monsters seen in the manga, created by Kazuki Takahashi, are made into cards people duel and trade with. Over the years, it has been revised under different rules and regulations, to ensure fair play, though usually one finds a way around this to make a nearly unbeatable strategy. Unlike the anime, the Monsters aren't projected and they don't come to life either, which is prominently seen in the anime. Moreover, certain cards aren't made to be used, while others are merely anime-exclusive. The Duel Disks, which debuted around the second season, were made as toys/accessories for fans. As the franchise progressed, the Duel Disks were used much more prominently and even featured new designs, extending into Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds, and the recent Yu-Gi-Oh Zexal.
Initially, while Konami was the sole mastermind behind this cash cow, popular trading card distributor Upper Deck released the cards in America prior to the end of 2008, when Konami found out and sued Upper Deck for illegal distribution. A year later, Upper Deck was held liable for counterfeiting the TCG cards, and Konami, to this day, is the sole distributor of the cards, despite that other companies also make false copies of the said cards, sometimes trying to make it authentic, and even including the officially banned/exclusive monsters as cards. The TCG tournaments, sponsored by Konami, only uses the authentic cards distributed by them, the cards sold in packs and collectible tins in various stores, though some exclusive cards are obtained through other official means.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters had a long run, and while I don't favor much mainstream, it's between a 7 and 8 of 10 for me in general. Anime like this is made to help sales of the merchandise, and it did that well, because hadn't this surfaced in America, I would ignore the Trading Card Game still going on to this day.
CXCIII: "Gegege no Kitaro"
Old, and remade quite a number of times, Gegege no Kirtaro, originally called Kitaro of the Graveyard, is an anime that has aged well, but is constantly remade with better visuals each time. However, they are made by the same people. Originating from a manga, there is plentiful media done off of this title.
The story centers around a certain youkai named Kitaro, who is, aside from his mostly decayed father (who's a walking eyeball... no kidding), is the sole survivor of the Ghost Tribe. He is a youkai with a sense of justice, entrusted with fighting for the peace of both his kind and humans, which usually pits him against aggressive youkai that threaten the human race. Armed with several strange weapons, and assisted by plenty of allies, Kitaro tackles any and all comers that threaten the peace of the two races.
Since 1968, it has been retold time and again on a decade basis, making a total of 5 different TV Anime versions. In addition, in between the 2007-2009 run, there as a brief 2008 version titled Hakaba Kitaro. In all, the series is lengthy, lasting for a total of 451 episodes, which is quite a feat. There is also a live-action film, an anime film, as well as a Sony PlayStation game, but it's safe to assume none of these saw US daylight. In fact, I only came across this by sheer luck through the site Veoh, though other dark areas of the internet also has something in regards to one of the characters, Neko Musune. Save for those means, I won't say it's impossible, but finding anything about this series here in the US would be a hassle, as the media itself is scarce here. Toei Company and Toei Animations are the studios that made these titles. Naturally, there is no US license, therefore no legit English dubbing whatsoever. The time span and episode count for each are as follows:
The story centers around a certain youkai named Kitaro, who is, aside from his mostly decayed father (who's a walking eyeball... no kidding), is the sole survivor of the Ghost Tribe. He is a youkai with a sense of justice, entrusted with fighting for the peace of both his kind and humans, which usually pits him against aggressive youkai that threaten the human race. Armed with several strange weapons, and assisted by plenty of allies, Kitaro tackles any and all comers that threaten the peace of the two races.
Since 1968, it has been retold time and again on a decade basis, making a total of 5 different TV Anime versions. In addition, in between the 2007-2009 run, there as a brief 2008 version titled Hakaba Kitaro. In all, the series is lengthy, lasting for a total of 451 episodes, which is quite a feat. There is also a live-action film, an anime film, as well as a Sony PlayStation game, but it's safe to assume none of these saw US daylight. In fact, I only came across this by sheer luck through the site Veoh, though other dark areas of the internet also has something in regards to one of the characters, Neko Musune. Save for those means, I won't say it's impossible, but finding anything about this series here in the US would be a hassle, as the media itself is scarce here. Toei Company and Toei Animations are the studios that made these titles. Naturally, there is no US license, therefore no legit English dubbing whatsoever. The time span and episode count for each are as follows:
- TV Anime 1: January 1968 - March 1969 (65 episodes)
- TV Anime 2: October 1971 - September 1972 (45 episodes)
- TV Anime 3: October 1985 - March 1988 (115 episodes)
- TV Anime 4: January 1996 - March 1998 (114 episodes)
- TV Anime 5: April 2007 - March 2009 (100 episodes)
- Hakaba Kintaro: January 2008 - March 2008 (11 episodes)
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