Posted on by Anime World Order

Anime World Order Show # 9 – Golgo 13: He Shoots, He Scores

We’re back to the “regular” show format. Daryl talks about the Often Overlooked gekiga mainstay Golgo 13 and gets made fun of by shut from 4chan, Gerald reviews Cannon God Exaxxion, and we offer a sample of the upcoming Katsucon and Megacon interview segments.

Introduction (0:00 – 23:01)
Listener email reveals that we were totally wrong about Transformers last week, among other things. Per your requests, we give our thoughts on G Gundam, Lensman (the DUB!), Harmagedon (the DUB…ABSOLUTE ZERO [NOW]!), Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. Plus, Daryl reveals THE SHOCKING HIDDEN TRUTH behind Gravitation and how none of us can pronounce “yaoi” right! It must be because Daryl has the Ultimate Eye.

Let’s News! (23:01 – 29:50)
As proof of how untimely podcasts are for getting news, we get around to mentioning how the hentai title Discipline got a DVD release that’s as comedically entertaining as its ad copy, ADV licenses the original Area 88 OAVs (as discussed in Show #4), and Daryl uses the Ultimate Eye to deduce that the odd handling of Prefectural Earth Defense Force is all just another manufactured controversy designed to get the crazed otaku–that’s us, by the way–angry in an attempt to raise awareness of the title, just like Ghost Stories was (as discussed in Show # 1). And if you want to be on the show, we give you the chance to show us how good a voice actor you are! Listen to find out how!

Often Overlooked: The Professional: Golgo 13 (29:50 – 50:53)
Daryl pulls your triggers lovingly and softly using the pulsating holster OF LOVE as he regales us all with the history of one of the most enduring characters in gekiga (“dramatic comics”), Golgo 13 “the man with the custom M-16,” created by Takao Saito. This was supposed to just be about the theatrical animated feature, but ends up being about how Golgo 13 truly is the Japanese equivalent of a Jack Chick tract.

  • Official website of Jack Chick (includes Japanese editions, so help us)
  • Toastyfrog’s Golgo 13: Perfect Machine of Snipe — Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4 (writeups on the out-of-print Saito Productions English releases of Golgo 13, including pictures; hurry before it’s taken down like how “Chuchu Died For Your Sins” isn’t there anymore)
  • Duke Togo: A Retrospective of the Localized Golgo 13 in America — Part 1, Part 2 (excellent article which is so near identical to what Daryl said that it’s not even funny; Daryl would like everyone to know that he never heard of this site or Toastyfrog’s writeup until it was time to do these show notes and that he didn’t plagiarize from either)
  • Scans Gerald made from the first story in the Viz release — 1 2 3 4 (he notes the art is better in the second story)

Special Bonus Feedback: shut from 4chan Respects Daryl Highly (50:53 – 56:06)
We forgot to read this message in the beginning since it wasn’t sent directly to us, but FYAD All Star and 4chan sensation shut exposes us for the snob elite indy band hipsterites we are. We hem and haw in an attempt to justify our existences, failing miserably but learning a valuable lesson in the process. We bet this is all because Daryl still can’t find where he put that AMV CDR that W.T. Snacks gave him two years ago.

Review (manga): Cannon God Exaxxion (56:06 – 1:08:11)
Gerald tells us all about Kenichi Sonoda’s current manga series being published in America by Dark Horse that nobody else seems to really be talking about. I guess that’s why we’re talking about it, though Daryl and Clarissa aren’t quite sure what makes this one NOT as utterly generic as it sounds, since the plot is “guy is surrounded by harem of women and pilots robot against aliens.” Listen and judge for yourself.

Special Bonus #2: Katsucon Report Preview (1:08:11 – 1:20:48)
Man, this episode is going to be like an hour and a half long because of this, and we just got an email saying “stop making the episodes over 80 minutes for the sake of the people who burn them as CD audio), but as a preview for the upcoming weeks, Daryl has decided to share with everyone one of the HOURS AND HOURS of interviews he conducted while he was off at Katsucon 12 in search of the hidden secrets of the universe, and by that he means interviewing people he deemed “worthy of the Internet.” This one interview went like 10 minutes; for next week, Daryl will have to figure out if he can somehow fit in all the high points within about 15 minutes or so. And on top of that, he did interviews at Megacon this past weekend as well. Don’t worry, those are forthcoming too.

Closing (1:20:48 – 1:22:58)
Somehow, the shows keep getting longer and longer despite Daryl’s feeble attempts to keep things at about an hour’s length. We’ve heard plenty of people saying that the length isn’t an issue, but be honest: if you think the show is too long (or if you start listening to episodes but stop before they’re done), we want to hear from you too! Next time, Clarissa reviews the manga Homunculus (though she is not certain whether or not it contains the Ultimate Eye), Gerald talks about a favorite of his, the Often Overlooked Lensman (the DUB), and Daryl kicks off his quest for THE TRUTH and THE AMERICAN DREAM (no, not Ron Killings and Dusty Rhodes) as he interviews YOU, the anime convention-attending populace at large! Be ready for lots more pictures of really cool people! ABSOLUTE ZERO, NOW!

22 Replies to “Anime World Order Show # 9 – Golgo 13: He Shoots, He Scores”

  1. You know what I forgot to mention during my Golgo 13 segment? Kazuo Koike had studied under Takao Saito.

    This comprises the previously undiscovered 9th circle of Zerthimon. It is unbroken.

  2. “And if you want to be on the show, we give you the chance to show us how good a voice actor you are!”

    Why do I get the impression that’s a shot being taken at me

    If I’m wrong however…..forget what I said

    And I see you are Red Vs Blue fans, I used to like Red Vs Blue…..until my failed attempts at wanting to do a voice on the show

  3. On Shirow’s tech, it generally works as it is based on real stuff rather than just tossing out strange terminology that sounds like it may mean something and really doesn’t. For really strange meaningless jargon listen to businessmen talk, they have a mastery on bullshit.

    Orion, I read Orion more than once.

    But then I was interested in the rather unusual mixture of Neo-Confucian, Shingon and Shinto concepts Shirow had worked together into a strange tapestry.

    Guess this is what comes from getting a Masters degree in Theology.

    Well back to the listenin’ to the rest of the ‘cast.

  4. I agree folks should give Cannon God Exaxxion a shot. But then I am a SONODA FAN.

    If you liked his other works this is one that you should pick up. Don’t expect it to be like any giant robot manga you have read, he takes the conventions and does them in his own way.

  5. My favorite bit of meaningless techno-babble is in TRON, when Sark shouts, “Send in the logic probe!” Logic probe?

    As for saucy ad copy, I think “See their watery holes” should be the tag line for every movie. Watery holes? I’m not even going to send my logic probe into that.

  6. “The DUB” shall be the new catch phrase. I know full well about how awesome they are already, but how about a segment DUBS like Violence Jack and Angel Cop?

    -James

  7. You’re doing “Homunculus” next! Awesome!
    That’s one of my favourites, probably 10 steps down from “20th Century Boys” and “Berserk” my ultimate favourites. (Oh, and Honey & Clover.)

    I like really manly series and when you guys started talking about Koike a while back, I was just flashing back to my childhood when I was about 10-14 in Blockbuster and accidently rented Mad Bull along with Devil Hunter Yoko.

    I watched Golgo back when I was having a marathon of old ADV english VHS (so all dubs, because bad dubs build endurance). I didn’t really like it that much, you guys made me remember that sex scene with that really gross looking guy. NOOO! I had full intentions of forgetting that.

    Ha ha ha, when I listen to your podcast I remember a lot of “old anime.” It’s really hard sometimes to talk about “old anime.” I’m an reference for my group so when people as me to recall something really “old” I feel really awkward because that was from a time I was trying to forget. Back then I was just happy to get a copy of the Street Fighter V(?) series and I was watching the taped Chinese VHS’s of Sailor Moon (I can’t speak Chinese) and thinking is was the best stuff. I think some of us have more of an attatchment for anime because it was harder to get, so you want to get all the information you can get if it’ll get you any leads to where to get more. People shouldn’t really complain about “old” and “new,” and just watch what they can get their hands on… Unless it’s total, utter crap. (No! I’m not old too! I’m only 20!)

    Anywho, I never really notice that your shows are too long, you should edit your shows how you feel.

    That’s all, thank you for taking your time to read this. Bye!

  8. Hey, thanks for the links… I’ve been listening to this show for a week or so already, and I was waiting to hear your Golgo 13 stuff – you guys convinced me to finally buy Offered too. Looking forward to your Lensman stuff next week… I haven’t read the book, but I liked the movie.

    I live up in Pennsylvania, and the other summer I discovered a place in the cafeteria of the building in which I was working where some kind soul would leave Jack Chick comics. I love the damn things, so I’d pick up whatever was there, and in about a week or so there’d be a new one. I wonder if whoever was leaving those things thought they were really reaching people instead of feeding some asshole’s collecting urge… anyway, one day apparently someone got there before me and got a little steamed at what was inside (I think it was one of the Chick Catholicism Classics, in which we learn that the Catholic Church is behind every evil thing in the whole of human experience), since the book was ripped right in half, and left in its place. I was horrified that anyone would ruin a good Chick tract like that (I mean, it was one I didn’t have!!), and after that the mystery supplier never came back. It was truly the end of summer.

  9. Used to see the Jack Chick stuff in my area a lot too. Hardly ever bother collecting them beyong reading a few left near payphones. Apparently never realized that many people actually liked those before.

  10. keith –

    Ah yes, the logic probe. Man, I had forgotten about that. I mean, what the hell is that?

    litda –

    We’re actually not nearly as old as we probably sound like. 😉 But yeah, I wish that people didn’t make such a fuss about “old” vs “new” anime. Can’t people just watch stuff? Meh.

    jog –

    I actually kind of wish I had hard copies of some of those, as they’re completely unintentionally hilarious. As much as I can’t stand that sort of Christian rhetoric, those Chick tracts become sort of charming. I’m especially fond of their anti-D&D one, as I’ve been a gamer for some time and that whole “D&D is Satan” thing is a classic.

    “I don’t want to be Darkstar anymore! I want to be Debbie! *sobs*”

  11. We bet this is all because Daryl still can’t find where he put that AMV CDR that W.T. Snacks gave him two years ago.
    I knew it!

  13. I want to apologize for my *LOOONG* delay in commenting despite one of the hosts inviting me and promising to say something after I tried it. To be honest I count this my ‘first’ podcast.

    I’d say of the one show I tried this is a little bit like a radio program with uhm. Uhm. Well compared to radio personalities these hosts aren’t as out there and on. Its not really a complaint so much as an assesment.

    I guess what I mean is as to some host they could say something the exact opposite of how I feel and I’m still with the show. These hosts seem to share similar insights and opinions. But I I don’t think I’d be entertained if they went where I didn’t want to. Uhm its tough to go on.
    I loved the Nana review and good job on the Robotech/Macross “scoop” loved that. Now to play catch up.

    Surat really likes his pulpy manga/anime. Well I’m not sure the word for it the guys are roughy. One term I remember is “Man-ime”

    Beats the Ero-game genre that seems to have sprung up all of a sudden.(says guy after the Go Fujimoto artworked homo-erogame) It just seems like waste of ink compared to what’s come before. Not to mention my first exposure was Green Green…missed oppurtunities abounded in that one.

    Shirow’s conning people:) Hehehe reminds me of a thought I had about his total philosophizing adding all up to boobs. Then again I preferred the manga of GitS out of everything else

  14. I just remembered that Takao Saito’s artwork is featured on the cover of Taschen’s massive, and quite beautiful 600-page tome MANGA DESIGN.

    Here’s an image of the cover
    http://tci.homestead.com/manga.html

    Although I thought Daryl’s review of Golgo was incredibly funny and the series does sound ludicrous, it must be said that the samples of Saito’s artwork in Manga Design are not nearly as bad as the sample scans offered up in the AWO show notes (which apparently weren’t drawn by Saito at all). Maybe Saito, despite the ridiculous stories, wasn’t that bad of a draftsman.

  15. Robert Why –

    Yeah, I suppose that Takao Saito hasn’t drawn Golgo 13 for a number of years, so I supppose he’s not directly at fault for the horrible artwork in the first book, on the other hand he’s the only one who gets any credit so I end up blaming him anyway. The artwork is rather different in the second story in the book. I suppose inconsistencies are what comes from Saito not actually having anything to do with Golgo and just hiring a staff to write and draw the entire thing.

  16. Gerald said…
    Robert Why –
    Yeah, I suppose that Takao Saito hasn’t drawn Golgo 13 for a number of years, so I supppose he’s not directly at fault for the horrible artwork in the first book, on the other hand he’s the only one who gets any credit so I end up blaming him anyway. The artwork is rather different in the second story in the book. I suppose inconsistencies are what comes from Saito not actually having anything to do with Golgo and just hiring a staff to write and draw the entire thing.
    3/06/2006 09:12:00 AM

    Sounds like Saito’s just more a producer in the later years and would rather just keep pouring out more pages of Golgo 13 than let it be put to rest once in a while (wonder if the series will continue after his death?).

    Thinking of the Dezaki/Sugino involvement in the ’83 Golgo 13 film, I’m being reminded of their involvement on “The Mighty Orbots” (a co-production for the US market that came out a year after they worked on the film). Makes me giggle at times thinking that Dezaki worked on at least one “Saturday morning” cartoon in his career (like spotting his name mention on the front over of the VHS releases of the series), he’s such a versatile director.

    While you joked a bit about the Lensman film, I thought the dubbing was OK, though the look of the film wasn’t trying to be too anime like, kept making me think more of those Japanese-Western co-productions given the story they adapted. I like to think of it as a “feel-good 80’s” type of flick.

    I also agree with the thought that if you were to push someone into anime, a film like Golgo 13 might not be the first choice to use or one of a simular nature, as I tend to disfavor those films for developing that mindset for most fans to think all anime has to be that way. Puts it more into the “Sick & Twisted” avenue where guys would go for that.

    Anyway, keep up the great work!

  17. closest thing to a ‘logic probe’ back in those days were logic analyzers, which were used to test boolean logic and circuit timings, and were especially helpful for those wacky guys that programmed 2600s in the days before real development systems ^^

  18. Chris –

    Oh yeah, Mighty Orbots. I think Dezaki also worked on the Bionic Six cartoon.

    And now I have that song stuck in my head. Curses.

  20. Gerald said…
    “Biiiionic Bionic Six ooo ooo oo oo
    We fight to-geeether,
    We fight for right,
    Biiiionic Bionic Six ooo ooo oo oo”

    Now you will NEVER FORGET IT!!

    I can tell! Too bad I somewhat missed out on that show too growing up (the premise though reminds me of Cyborg 009 though without the kind of Cold War political turmoil that Ishinomori Shoutarou drew best).

  21. Hope you don’t mind me commenting on old episodes. This was a great episode guys.

    I understand Gerald. I think I feel the same way. Cowboy Bebop was something I liked, but never thought it was anything special. But I do own the movie at least. However I did enjoy Samurai Champloo a lot. I liked it much more the Bebop. GitS: SAC I also really liked, but I have to still finish that. It’s high on my list of stuff to buy.

    Golgo 13: The Professional is a movie I only recently bought and watched. Dezuki Dezaki is a director I really respect. This movie walks the line between highbrow and lowbrow, and I loved it. At times it’s really really low brow stuff. But still has some great things in there. That’s Dezuki Dezaki for you. Crazy movie, but sweet! “Rip out his brains and throw them on the floor!” indeed. I’ve never read the manga, but it really sounds crazy. Pulp fiction trash eh? Some of that artwork does look really ugly though. Oh and I want to see Queen Bee too…ganna gonna end up buying that one day.

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