Anime Review: Michiko and Hatchin

So, funny story about this; originally I was going to be talking about this show on the Anibros podcast, but due to other engagements, I was pulled away from the proceedings to go out of town. As such, I was left without an outlet with which to talk about this show in length and detail with others. Finding nowhere else to turn to, I remember I had a sort of anime review blog (speaking of, I'll review things NOT anime eventually, that's just what I'm focusing on at the moment), and decided I might as well spill all of my vast thoughts and feelings on this particular show in text form for all to see.

But then, something hit me. I really didn't have all that much to say to begin with.

Anime Review: Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water

A long time ago, a young upstart animator named Hayao Miyazaki was hired by Toho to create a television series. Being a fan of Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, he came up with an outline for a show called Around the World Under the Sea. The idea was that a pair of orphaned children got caught up in a conflict against a great evil and a rebel submarine crew. The idea was shelved and never developed, but Miyazaki would later take the concept and tweak it somewhat to make Castle in the Sky.

Jump to a few years later, where a new, flourishing animation studio called Gainax, known for having created the Daicon III and IV sci-fi promos, Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honneamise and Aim for the Top! Gunbuster (and later would make such hits as Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann), was approached by Toho to make a TV show for Japan's public broadcaster, NHK. While digging around, the studio members found Miyazaki's concept and were captivated by it. Handing it off to Gunbuster director Hideaki Anno, they developed the series into one of the most popular anime of the early 90s, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water.

Review: Sasameki Koto

Before I begin, I apologize for the lack of content in, what, over a year? I attribute this to being far too caught up in personal stuff and just forgetting about this place. It tends to happen when I'm not committed. But seeing as how my situation has changed a bit, I'll try to contribute more to this site, at least until I get overwhelmingly busy again.

Anyways, enough excuses; let's talk anime.

Last weekend, Toonami returned for it's second bout, this time in a new time slot and with a new demographic. Expectations and hopes were high, and now that the dust has settled, I feel that something must be said about the new Toonami.

It's not that great. Not horrible, but not great.

The Toonami Criteria

Toonami was most well known for having a specific type of show. While they tended to deviate from time to time, the standard Toonami show was an action anime, particularly sci-fi. Bonus points if the story involved the characters going to or living in outer space. Toonami loves outer space. Dragon Ball Z, Gundam Wing, Outlaw Star, Tenchi Muyo, these shows and more involved all of these elements. These shows are the epitome of what Toonami was all about, what best characterized Toonami as Toonami. So it's sort of how I'm going to categorize and grade the various shows.

What Was Lost

In order to make this part of adult swim more Toonami-like, a few shows were removed from the lineup, even if they were still running. As far as I know, Durarara!!, Kekkaishi, InuYasha, FLCL and The Big O Season 2. I would argue that InuYasha still fits the action quota, and The Big O was on Toonami a while back, but I do see why FLCL was taken out; that show was running forever, and it's only 6 episodes. I understand it's a network favorite and a wonderful series, but it's not like the DVD is out of print anymore; it's easily and cheaply available on DVD and Blu-ray now, and it's streaming on Netflix and Hulu, so its place on television, while enjoyed, has come to an end, or at least a break. Perhaps the same could be said about InuYasha, why not? Durarara!! was still in its second run, so I can imagine some fans may be skeeved, and I don't know how long Kekkaishi was running, but apparently it's been finished for a while. 

The New Lineup

Well, I think the big problem is that a good chunk of the programming is still mostly adult swim programming that they just didn't want to give up. It's fine, since a good deal of them still fit the criteria to a degree, but I can't help but feel it could have benefited from some other shows, like some of the Toonami classics. I know, money and whatnot, but still, it was a bit of a hard pill to swallow.

So let's go over each and every one of the shows one by one. Seems to be the best bet.

TOM and the Absolution

What makes Toonami what it is. TOM is back, completely reanimated with a modified 3.0 design and a shiny new Absolution. However, it's still quite clear they are on a budget, due to the rather choppy and shortcut ridden nature of the new animation. Still, I can forgive it; it looks good enough in my eyes. How much the animation will be improved with a larger budget from ratings, I'm not sure. Hopefully they can go back and fix it, or at least make more that isn't as choppy.

What's missing is SARA, TOM's hologram partner and Peter Cullen, the voice that narrated some of the promos. The former is gone due to reduced budget, and the latter is gone because his work schedule is too much for him to currently do new promos. Again, we can only hope with time and money, they'll be back.

TOM has new recordings and the like, all from Steve Blum himself. He also did a game review (much like how on April Fools, he did Mass Effect 3). of I Am Alive for the XBLA. It actually looked pretty decent, but his review was really short and basic, so it wasn't too informative.

Bleach

I admit I've seen this show a lot back in the day and it was my personal favorite of the Big Three. However, as time went on, I stopped watching and stopped caring too much about it. I didn't pay too much attention to the episode as it aired, but it actually did look entertaining enough. However, I'm so far behind, I'm probably not going to start watching in earnest on TV anytime soon.

It certainly does work being an action show, essentially being the Naruto/Dragon Ball Z for the new Toonami, so I guess for ratings and the like, it's okay. They certainly weren't going to get rid of it entirely, were they?

Episode 255 aired from 12am to 12:30am, and then again from 3am to 3:30 am.

Deadman Wonderland

One of the two new shows to the lineup, and the only one to make it's North American television debut. The story is that a middle school kid named Ganta is the sole survivor of a massacre in his classroom. It was perpetrated by some strange man in red and embedded a red crystal into his chest. In the fallout, the public believes that he killed everyone in that classroom, but he insists he is innocent. He is sentenced to work in a place called Deadman Wonderland, a prison designed to look like and even function like an amusement park. While here, apparently the criminals are all competing for survival in a sort "who can last the longest" sort of way, and there are weird dealings happening behind the scenes. When Ganza meets a girl named Shiro, who looks an awful lot like his now deceased best friend Mimi, he realizes that there's a lot more to Deadman Wonderland that meets the eye.

On the whole, the writing is okay and the animation is actually pretty darn good, but the voice acting is a bit suspect. Greg Ayres is trying way too hard to sound young, which is bad considering his natural voice is already really high pitched. It's weird, considering that Mike McFarland is usually amazing with his ADR direction. By far the worst part of this dub is the swearing; due to airing on television, strong swears need to be censored. Deadman Wonderland tends to revel in its swearing, so it results in some scenes being bleeped out about as frequently as a South Park episode. It's a little distracting.

The concept seems okay, but a bit derivative. It's a shame that Battle Royal made killer collars popular, because now everything that's even remotely like it has to include them. Then again, this is only the first episode, so it's going to take some time to really get going. After all, they keep talking about an incident in Deadman Wonderland called "The Red Hole Incident", which hasn't really been discussed in detail yet, so who knows what will happen?

As far as Toonami goes, I fail to see how this is very Toonami at all; it seems more like a horror/supernatural thriller than it does a straight up action anime. Still, it does have sci-fi elements, mostly the killer collars and holographic display technology. It's a sort of "Twenty Minutes Into The Future" kind of deal, though, as opposed to the big mechanical bots and ships that Toonami loves the most. Still, it is a new show and it seems like there will be some action in it, so I'll let it go for now.

Episode 1 aired from 12:30am to 1am, then again from 3:30am to 4am.

Casshern Sins

The second new show in the lineup, and by far the most confusing. This first episode barely told us anything, only that there is a robotic humanoid whom a whole bunch of robots call Casshern. He doesn't know anything about himself, the world around him is in complete ruin, and according to others around him, he is the one responsible. The dialogue is very cryptic and it feels like the story for this episode was stretched thin, like it barely was enough to cover 15 minutes, let alone an additional 7. Hopefully improvement comes, but it's going to be tough to get me really invested.

The animation is decent, but nothing special. The fights are actually somewhat brutal while still maintaining a PG rating. Casshern himself looks like a superhero, though this is a reboot of the original Casshern manga and anime from the 80s. Apparently this is meant to be an alternate continuity to that one.

I really don't have much to say about this one; it felt rather empty, like it was just trying to make some action show and not much else. It almost feels like one of those stereotypical 90s comic books where they just throw you right into the action with very little actual characterization. Here's crossing fingers for it.

Oh yeah, Toonami-ness. It's an action show, it has robots, and I think it takes place on a different planet, though it could just be post-apocalypse Earth. I'm not sure yet. Okay, I suppose.

Episode 1 aired from 1:30am to 2am, then again from 4am to 4:30am.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

A show that was left on because, well, I think they just wanted to go through the entire run again. After all, it's popular and well loved (though the original did have better ratings), so it's only natural it stayed.

However, this may have been a bad episode to start with if it wanted to be Toonami. I guess that's just because it's still been airing, but this was not an action-packed episode at all. It was mostly talking and getting the characters in place for the next big arc of the show. Still, I liked Brotherhood a lot, so it's all okay in my book.

Toonami-ness? It is an action-adventure series, but certainly low on sci-fi. More like fantasy using an outdated science. It works.

Episode 32 aired from 1:30am to 2am, then again from 4:30am to 5am.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd Gig

I gotta say, I didn't watch this at all. I'm currently watching the first season on Netflix, and I don't want to distract myself with what happens in the second. Plus, it's right in the middle, so I'm sure that, even with its episodic nature, I'd get fairly lost. 

When it comes to being good for Toonami, it certainly has the sci-fi part. Much like Deadman Wonderland, its more Twenty Minutes Into The Future, but this time it's a post-cyberpunk setting with some cyberpunk themes. While it certainly does have some good action, GitS really prides itself on being incredibly dense and verbose. It's not a bad thing, but Toonami's shows were a bit more simplistic in nature. Still, this was an adult swim show, so I can accept that part. The action does happen, but not as frequently or as stylishly as some Toonami regulars.

Episode 17 aired from 2am to 2:30am, then again from 5am to 5:30am.

Cowboy Bebop

Ah, this show has been on the air on adult swim for so long, it's ridiculous. There's nothing I really need to say about the show itself; it's great, go watch it.

This show hits it all; it's got action, sci-fi, and the characters do space travel. It also gets even more bonus points because Spike Spiegel, the main character, is voiced by Steve Blum, who also voices TOM. And it's also fitting, since when Toonami said goodbye four years ago, TOM left us with the word "Bang", even though Cowboy Bebop never aired on Toonami. It was an actor allusion for the ages. Now it's finally on Toonami, and it works so well, it hurts. No better show to end the night on, in my opinion. I'll gladly tune in every week just for this show. It's worth it.

My only complaint is that it didn't start with episode 1, so that Toonami could have  a fresh start on classic. It wasn't even that much of an action packed episode; just an episode focusing on Faye's Valentine. Though it did have a brief dogfight between Spike and Faye. Still, an episode focusing on Spike might have worked better. Then again, that's just how the episode ended up airing, I guess.

Episode 15 aired from 2:30am to 3am and again from 5:30am to 6am.

Overall

I think the biggest weakness for this new Toonami is that it seems the shows don't entirely fit the Toonami feel or mentality, and it's more just fitting that adult swim mentality still. Even the new shows feel more like they were added to adult swim than they were shows that felt distinctly Toonami. If I'm going to support this new Toonami in hopes of other shows, I'm gonna end up just leaving the TV on  in the background for about half the shows. I'm still going to keep a close eye on DW and Casshern in hopes of something really good happening in both of them, though Deadman Wonderland is going to be really difficult to watch with the large amount of censoring going with the excessive swearing. I'll watch Cowboy Bebop weekly because it's fun and easy to watch every week like that. Hell, I may even watch FMA:B regularly. But Bleach and GitS are too far away from where I am right now in regards to those.

As it stands now, this Toonami isn't all that great, being too stuck in the adult swim mindset and barely having any real new content or even content of classic Toonami. Still, I'll keep it on, as I hear that execs are looking at adding Gundam Wing back in, as well as perhaps throwing Panty and Stocking With Garterbelt in (which may feature a similar problem to DW in censorship), Fairy Tail, One Piece and InuYasha: The Final Act into the mix. What other shows they are considering adding in the future, I'm not sure yet, and I'm not sure what's going to end up getting replaced. Maybe GitS, if it ends sometime soon, and FMA:B may be next. I doubt Bleach will be taken off the air anytime soon, and if it does get taken off, it will probably just make way for One Piece anyways. 

I know it's a bit grudging, but I do support this for now. Here's hoping an improved budget and better shows do end up coming soon. But come July, like say, when the next sweeps period starts, and nothing comes of this, then I'm not sure I can keep supporting I'm only watching in hopes it gets better.

An Introduction of Sorts

Because I am completely unoriginal, bored, and I have nowhere else to put all of these ideas, this is my own sort of blog. It will mostly be reviews but it may include other content. What other content will that be? Well, I'll let you know if I ever feel like talking about it here.

So, the subject of my reviews? Well, mostly movies, shows, games and sometimes books. I’ve got a few ideas of what I want to end up reviewing or talking about, but as for how often this place gets updated all depends on if I’m feeling the mood or desire to update. The goal is at least once or twice a week, but I make no promises.

Anyways, for all intents and purposes, these are the tags and categories I will be doing my posts in:

Animation Evaluation – I am terrible at art, but I do love animated works. Mostly going to be anime, but could be Western or even other Eastern animation as well. This is where I review a show that I have just seen for the first time and completed. If the show is particularly long, or (heaven forbid) ongoing, I’ll just try to give opinions on the current arc or the arc I just finished.

The Button Mash – Reviews of video games that I have just played. Usually, the games discussed won’t exactly be the mainstream stuff (though admittedly, it’s not so obscure as to be a real “indie” title).

Toku Typhoon – I’ll admit it; I love tokusatsu. Silly costumes and typical demographic aside, it is a genre just like any other; it can be silly and crazy, dark and serious, for young, young children or teens and young adults (or even, dare I say it, actual adults). These will be various reviews of those kinds of shows.

Post-Film Reel – Reviews of movie things. Either in theaters or stuff I caught on DVD/Blu-ray/Netflix/whatever.

Comparison Scale – Where I weigh two or three items that share some kind of similarity to each other and compare and contrast each of their elements. This can be an original vs. a remake, original vs. adaptation, original vs. reimagining, thematically similar works, whatever may come up.

Retrospective Overview – If a franchise or series is particularly long-running and is nearing the end/an anniversary/a new major installment/just ended, then I will go all out and go over every single entry in that franchise and review them. If I’ve already reviewed them previously, well, I’ll do it again, but perhaps not quite as in depth.

Retroactive Reviewing – Where I look at something I’ve already seen before and review it with more insight and a fresh mind. Usually, I won’t have reviewed the item in question on this blog already.

If more categories need to be added, then I will get to it and add it here. This may get updated, then.

Welp, that’s all I have for the moment. I should have a post or two this week, but things may slow down fast after that. Hope you enjoy this time waste of a blog.