Gatchaman... to those new to the name, you probably know them from the game Tatsunoko vs Capcom. Science Ninja Team Gatchaman has been around since the 70s, with media released under various names. Created under the Henshin boom, this title is pretty much the spark that gave rise to the Super Sentai franchise (known largely as Power Rangers in the US). Gatchaman deals with a team whose aliases are pretty much derived from birds. As follows from G1-G5, they are: Ken the Eagle, Joe the Condor, Jun the Swan, Jimmy the Falcon, and Rocky the Owl.
The TV Anime itself is quite a list. By itself, the first anime series spans 105 episodes. However, this didn't stop sequels from being made. The next in line was 1978's Gatchaman II, which spanned 52 episodes, followed by the 3rd sequel, Gatchaman Fighter, which had 48 episodes. It didn't stop there, however. Localizing the large media, Sandy Frank gained the license to release it in America, but with 85 episodes as opposed to 105, and under a different name: Battle of the Planets, which releaed in 1978, the same time Gatchaman's sequel was done. In 1986, Sandy Frank tried again, with the help of Turner Broadcasting, re-releasing it as G-Force: Guardian of Space. Saban Entertainment, known mainly for the Power Rangers franchise, had one of their own: a 65-episode series titled Eagle Riders, that was pretty much made from both Gatchaman II and Gatchaman Fighter. It was released in 1996, but didn't last a year with only 13 viewed in the US, though all episodes were viewed in Australia. The final localized media was a 3-part OVA released as Gatchaman in 2005 by Urban Vision, later being picked up my Harmony Gold USA after UV's license expired. Armed with updated visuals, this would be a retelling of the original series, and the translated names, for once, corresponded to the Japanese counterparts. ADV films had a license in 2005 to release an uncut dubbing of Sandy Franks work, but was soon expired, leaving both Battle of the Planets and G-Force uncertain about future releases.
In addition to these there are 2 motion films of the series, one being released in 1978, and another still in the works as of July of last year. Gatchaman is entertaining, and it has a place in history. I grade this an 8 of 10.
2011/05/08
XLI: "Speed Racer" and "Speed Racer X"
Ah, good ol' Speed Racer. The theme, the Mach 5, the classic music... such good times. Speed Racer is Tatsunoko's work that deals with racing, which I spoke a little about when I covered Speed Racer: TNG in post XXXVI. The original title was Mach Go Go Go, with localization changing the title, as well as the titular character, to Speed Racer. This name has gained a lot of fame over the years, debuting from it's jump to the US in 1967. Since then, the anime gained a lot of popularity, spawning related titles, video games, and a webseries.
If you read the aforementioned post, I've covered a bit about the Speed Racer world, but this is where it begins. Speed Racer (Go Mifune) is a young man who aspires to become a professional racer. His father, Pops Racer does not respect this desire Speed has, and rejects the idea. However, after being declined of the production for the modified engine of his race car, he quits his job. Some time after, he wanted to make his own company, Racer Motors, but acknowledged that he needed funds to set it into motion. Seeing this as his chance, Speed and Sparky, a friend and mechanic, tune up this car, the Mach 5, to be in racing condition. The final touch was the addition of a windshield, though this shield had the plans Pops had for the modified engine. And if this wasn't enough, a corporate gang was after those very designs, putting Speed in quite a pickle. And this is just the beginning. Throughout every race, he finds some trouble on the track that will either beat him to the finish line, or end his career permanently. The final notch I'll add is Racer X, a mysterious recurring character who serves the heroic rival to Speed, but has a past that's connected to the family.
In addition, a follow up manga was made, and also animated as the retelling, Speed Racer X. Due to licensing issues and a lawsuit between Speed Racer Enterprises (who had the rights to bring the series to America) and DiC Entertainment, only 11 episodes was aired in English on Nickelodeon. There are significant changes not only in characters, but more notably in Racer X's story, which alters Speed's motive to begin racing.
Speed Racer is a good impact to what I love about my childhood, and even though I only saw 11 episodes in English, Speed Racer X wasn't bad either. Speed Racer gets and 8 of 10, while Speed Racer X scores slightly lover, getting 7 of 10. Save for the 3rd series, the name itself makes me wanna shout: "Go, Speed, GO!" I would do that everyday, but what does that make me, someone of the Speed Racer fanclub?
If you read the aforementioned post, I've covered a bit about the Speed Racer world, but this is where it begins. Speed Racer (Go Mifune) is a young man who aspires to become a professional racer. His father, Pops Racer does not respect this desire Speed has, and rejects the idea. However, after being declined of the production for the modified engine of his race car, he quits his job. Some time after, he wanted to make his own company, Racer Motors, but acknowledged that he needed funds to set it into motion. Seeing this as his chance, Speed and Sparky, a friend and mechanic, tune up this car, the Mach 5, to be in racing condition. The final touch was the addition of a windshield, though this shield had the plans Pops had for the modified engine. And if this wasn't enough, a corporate gang was after those very designs, putting Speed in quite a pickle. And this is just the beginning. Throughout every race, he finds some trouble on the track that will either beat him to the finish line, or end his career permanently. The final notch I'll add is Racer X, a mysterious recurring character who serves the heroic rival to Speed, but has a past that's connected to the family.
In addition, a follow up manga was made, and also animated as the retelling, Speed Racer X. Due to licensing issues and a lawsuit between Speed Racer Enterprises (who had the rights to bring the series to America) and DiC Entertainment, only 11 episodes was aired in English on Nickelodeon. There are significant changes not only in characters, but more notably in Racer X's story, which alters Speed's motive to begin racing.
Speed Racer is a good impact to what I love about my childhood, and even though I only saw 11 episodes in English, Speed Racer X wasn't bad either. Speed Racer gets and 8 of 10, while Speed Racer X scores slightly lover, getting 7 of 10. Save for the 3rd series, the name itself makes me wanna shout: "Go, Speed, GO!" I would do that everyday, but what does that make me, someone of the Speed Racer fanclub?
2011/05/07
XL: "Devil Hunter Yohko"
Another old title, but entertaining nonetheless. The series called Devil Hunter Yohko deals with demons, so it is a horror anime, but with its dose of comedy as well. Yohko Mano, depite her boy-crazy attitude, is a 16 year old girl who is the series protagonist. She becomes the 108th Devil Hunter of the Mano family, suceeding the 107th: her grandmother, Madoka. As a devil hunter, she is assigned to banishing demons that arise in the real world, among which is Tomika, the central adversary to the Mano family. It's difficult balancing her duties and her life, but she is assisted by her apprentice, Azusa.
Note that there are a few mature scenarios at times, so it's not for everyone. I do believe that nudity does occur here and there, so yeah, viewer discretion is advised. The PC engine and Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) had a game titled roughly as Devil Hunter Yohko: The Seven Bells, though it was only released in Japan. The anime itself is a 6-episode OAV, released in 1990 under ADV Films, and later re-released by them, to mark the tenth anniversary since its release, in 2002.
Not the greatest, but it had me on edge, despite being short. I think a 7 out of 10 should do this series justice.
Note that there are a few mature scenarios at times, so it's not for everyone. I do believe that nudity does occur here and there, so yeah, viewer discretion is advised. The PC engine and Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) had a game titled roughly as Devil Hunter Yohko: The Seven Bells, though it was only released in Japan. The anime itself is a 6-episode OAV, released in 1990 under ADV Films, and later re-released by them, to mark the tenth anniversary since its release, in 2002.
Not the greatest, but it had me on edge, despite being short. I think a 7 out of 10 should do this series justice.
XXXIX: "Comic Party" series
This is another double post. Before I knew of Genshiken, there was one anime that tied in with the term otaku: Comic Party. The name of this was initially that of a romantic dating sim (to the eroge degree) for PC, but soon bridged onto gaming platforms: the Sega Dreamcast, and later the Playstation Portable. Before the game for PSP released in late 2005, there was an animated series, addressed by some as Comic Party TV. The character of interest is Kazuki Sendo, a typical student who is dragged into the world of doujinshi by his eccentric friend, Taishi. Being dragged to the Tokyo Big Sight, he is found in a comic convention, only to be dragged into the biggest one after it: the titular doujinshi convention, Comic Party. After acknowledging Kazuki's skills as an artist, Taishi tries to talk him into drawing his own doujin, much to dismay of Kaziki's childhood friend, Mizuki. Having bitterness against otaku (based on her views about them), she tries to talk Kazuki out of that possibility, though it serves little effect as Kazuki decides to start his own doujin work.
Throughout the series, plenty of characters are introduced, each with a similar tastes into doujin, and a part in Comic Party. The characters that Mizuki refers to as dirty, smelly otaku does appear every now and then as they serve that role, more so to cause trouble for the main cast. They all return in the follow up in 2005, Comic Party Revolution, with the addition of the hero manga-loving Subaru, among other characters (while Subaru is new in CP Revolution, she is seen somewhere before in the manga, while remaining absent from both the original game and the first anime.) Preceding CP Revolution are 4 added episodes to the original, known as Comic Party Special. Between Comic Party TV and Comic Party Revolution, cast switch ups were done. A few examples of these changes are Kazuki, Mizuki and Chisa Tsukamoto (though for the most part, nearly everyone got a new English voice in CP Revolution.) Here are a few examples:
All and all, good, though it bothered me about the view of otaku shown in both series, though they are not the only ones to do so. Still a 7 of 10 is fine by me, as it hits pretty close to what I love about the anime/doujin worlds.
Throughout the series, plenty of characters are introduced, each with a similar tastes into doujin, and a part in Comic Party. The characters that Mizuki refers to as dirty, smelly otaku does appear every now and then as they serve that role, more so to cause trouble for the main cast. They all return in the follow up in 2005, Comic Party Revolution, with the addition of the hero manga-loving Subaru, among other characters (while Subaru is new in CP Revolution, she is seen somewhere before in the manga, while remaining absent from both the original game and the first anime.) Preceding CP Revolution are 4 added episodes to the original, known as Comic Party Special. Between Comic Party TV and Comic Party Revolution, cast switch ups were done. A few examples of these changes are Kazuki, Mizuki and Chisa Tsukamoto (though for the most part, nearly everyone got a new English voice in CP Revolution.) Here are a few examples:
- Kazuki Sendo -
In CP, he is voiced by Samuel Grant Oscar Riegel, while Lerado Anzaldua covers his CP Revolution voice
- Mizuki Takase -
Rachel Lillis voiced her in CP, while her CP Revolution voice was done by Luci Christian
- Chisa Tsukamoto -
While voiced by Lisa Oritz in the CP dub, Kim-Ly Nguyen provided her CP Revolution voice
All and all, good, though it bothered me about the view of otaku shown in both series, though they are not the only ones to do so. Still a 7 of 10 is fine by me, as it hits pretty close to what I love about the anime/doujin worlds.
XXXVIII: "Marmalade Boy"
This one is quite an old title to remember, and only recently did I remember the name of it. Marmalade Boy is a romantic shojo comedy, and quite long running, spanning 76 animated episodes with a theatrical film serving as the prequel. The anime, well series overall, centers on the life of Miki Koshikawa. From the get-go, her life is flipped topsy-turvy when her parents decide to divorce and swap partners with a couple in the western part of the world (to be more direct, Hawaii.) Initially reluctant to accept this change, her views are slowly changed upon meeting the other couple's son, Yuu. Initially a jerk towards Miki, Yuu turns out to be attractive to her, and throughout the series, their relationship grows, but not without it's share of troubles.
Marmalade Boy sounded a bit out of my tastes when I first heard about it, but it's pretty tame. As it is old-looking, I consider myself lucky to even watch any of the episodes, let alone finish it. There is also a live action adaption which spans only 30 episodes in comparison to the animation. If you're not a fan of this kind of thing, then do turn away, because depending on who you may be, you might either be entertained, or easily bored.
Marmalade Boy wasn't the greatest, but it was long, so it kept me busy. That said, I give this a 6.5 of 10.
Marmalade Boy sounded a bit out of my tastes when I first heard about it, but it's pretty tame. As it is old-looking, I consider myself lucky to even watch any of the episodes, let alone finish it. There is also a live action adaption which spans only 30 episodes in comparison to the animation. If you're not a fan of this kind of thing, then do turn away, because depending on who you may be, you might either be entertained, or easily bored.
Marmalade Boy wasn't the greatest, but it was long, so it kept me busy. That said, I give this a 6.5 of 10.
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