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Everything this week causes pain one way or another as Daryl reviews Demon City Shinjuku, Clarissa reviews Birth / Planet Busters, and Gerald wraps things up with Megazone 23 III.
Introduction (00:00 – 32:38)
This week we get a letter from the vice chair of the Providence Anime Conference, who informs us that while they are not looking for staff now, they will be in the near future. All of us at Anime World Order hope that this event DOES NOT turn into some horrible “adult sci-fi” convention, many of which feature such panel topics as “Polyamory,” “Bondage or S&M,” “Filking,” and other horrible things like the “18+ Costume Contest.” We’ll keep our hopes up. We also address the question of TV anime censorship and the different ways it’s handled (see TOTALLY work safe picture below).
Finally, we talk about the possibility of showing anime in theaters and the issues with that. Apparently, buying that $8.00 popcorn can be pretty important.
Let’s News! (32:39 – 44:20)
Megatokyo is NOT MANGA just because it’s being published in Japan. That is all.
Zac Bertschy interviews Chase Wang, (did he seriously choose that as his English name?) and makes him answer the hard questions as to why things were so disorganized at Anime Expo this year. Starting a concert three hours late is fine, right? We also wonder why Viz had such a small presence at the convention and Del Rey was nowhere to be seen. Apparently, according to some new standards those filthy doujinshi authors will start having to put their names on their Card Captor Sakura loliporn works and label all the contents.
Promo: R5 Central (44:21 – 45:02)
Behold a preview of the R5 Central Otakon episodes to come. That dastardly Mike Dent is the only one who got a bumper recording out of Tomokazu Seki, and as a result we don’t have one. This shall not be forgotten. No, it shall not.
Review: Demon City Shinjuku (45:03 – 1:21:52)
An OAV that’s very familiar to anyone who used to watch Saturday Anime on the Sci-Fi Channel in the 90’s…OH GOD, MEMORIES OF APOLLO SMILE FLOODING BACK! “Live Action Anime Girl” my ass! The plot to this anime is not only completely unimportant, it’s also nearly 20 years old. As a result, Daryl goes through the entire show (to Gerald’s silent disapproval for SPOILING IT ALL) since the only REAL reason to watch this cartoon is for the action scenes. Also, its laughably bad dub in which British people try to convince us that they can pull off every accent under the sun. Listen and find out for yourself what happens when you mix spirits with sulfuric acid. Certified 100% Johnny Mnemonic approved, and we’re talking about the Region 2 version with even more Beat Takeshi. Pictures forthcoming, but for now I WANT ROOM SERVICE!
Promo: Otaku USA Magazine (1:21:53 – 1:44:06)
Just a reminder that Issue 2 should be arriving in stores soon and that you need to not only buy the magazine and read it, but post on their terrifying messageboard proclaiming the absolute superiority of the articles WE wrote over everyone else’s. Bwa ha ha ha ha ha.
Review: Megazone 23 The Third, Part 1 and Part 2 (1:22:47 – 1:44:06)
Gerald takes a look at a show that does a fine job of beating a classic franchise to the ground, ensuring it can never arise again. The less said about that Playstation 3 videogame of this coming out really soon, the better. Megazone 23 The Third proves that even after 1,000 years, it’s still possible for an idol singer to be on the top of the charts. Below are the spectacular videos we were talking about that are sure to give you a Hard-On:
And:
Promo: Otaku Generation (1:44:07 – 1:44:47)
Dismayed over the fact that episodes of AWO are now somehow longer than Otaku Generation episodes, Daryl and Gerald invaded their show last week to guarantee that it was the longest recorded episode they’d done to date. Alan had to stay up until about 2 AM editing it down to an acceptable length. WELCOME TO OUR WORLD!
Review: Birth aka Planet Busters (1:44:48 – 2:09:09)
Another “classic” from the Streamline Pictures catalog of work that was re-released and re-dubbed by ADV Films. Clarissa tries her best to make sense out of this madness, but we’re talking about a cartoon that somehow manages to make chase sequences involving killer robots that are the size of planets boring. Max from Jacksonville provides us with another voicemail, and it’s far more exciting than the anime itself. Don’t let anyone try and tell you otherwise.
Closing (2:09:10 – 2:15:55)
Prepare yourselves. If you thought this week we talked about some terrifying things, next week’s vast collection of total suck might prove second only to Uwe Boll’s filmography. Daryl will be giving us justice or a b-[CLASSIFIED TOP SECRET] by reviewing the six-part OAV series Angel Cop. You won’t find more lovingly crafted optic nerves anywhere else. Clarissa will be taking a look at a show that is AWESOME and features a man whose superhuman power is being incredibly rich. No, not Batman (face it, “unlimited money” is Batman’s REAL super power). No, not Iron Man either. She will be reviewing the first six episodes of “Naikaku Kenryoku Hanzai Kyosei Torishimarikan Zaizen Jotaro” or Zaizen Jotaro for short. Why just the first six, even though this show’s from about a year ago? Well, that’s all that got fansubbed, but after this review you all need to contact the responsible parties, perhaps via IRC, and DEMAND the rest. Trust us, it’ll be DA BOMB! Finally, Gerald is given the Herculean task of getting through one of the most unforgivingly bad shows released in the 1980’s, a one-shot OAV that was released purely to cash in on Hajime Sorayama‘s Sexy Robots (I TRIPLE DOG DARE you to check out that site while at work), The Humanoid.
Also, everyone who submitted entries for the “name your favorite anime” contest who didn’t A.) give us clear reasons WHY that particular show was your favorite and B.) DIDN’T GIVE US YOUR GOD DAMN ADDRESS will have to resubmit their entry. Any and all entries that do not include these things will be deleted because it’s taking too much time for us to email everyone back and say “hey, you forgot to do this right.”
At all the cons I’ve been to in the past few years Tokyopop and Viz have had a much smaller presence. I think the only time I saw Viz with a booth in the past three years was at the New York Comic-con. I’m getting the impression that the US manga publishers have decided that they should act more like comic and book publishers and not like members of the anime industry. That sucks for them because I hate comic conventions.
Also, at anime cons in general, especially fan-run cons, the industry has dramatically decreased booth presence in recent years. I remember Otakon 3 or 4 years ago when the industry had a gigantic presence with crazy huge booths for everybody. Look at the map for this year and it’s basically a complete 180. The industry booth area was basically a place to get some air and stretch your legs. Oh for the days when ADV gave out free copies of Newtype USA and gave Anime Network surveys next to a car full of merch they were giving away to a lucky winner. Now all we have is the Bandai Visual HD theatre.
Well, it’s quite obvious no one on AWO’s actually seen Hayate the Combat Butler or So Long, Mr. Despair (aka Zetsubou Sensei for the weeaboo fags). The censoring in these two shows are used ironically for comedic effect, which seems to be lost on our undersexed Scottish friend. Can’t say much for censorship in Air Gear, as no one really cares about that shitty show.
P.S. Scotty needs to worry less about seeing tits and ass in anime and get out more often. Real punani > anime punani
I just started watching Zetsubou Sensei and that guy’s face is everywhere. I don’t even think they have any reason to remove him for the DVD release. It’s a good gag, and this is hardly a tits and ass show.
Oh Christ, you guys were right about the animation for MZ23 the 3rd. It is like five frames a second. In fact, you could’ve saved yourselves the trouble of posting it on YouTube and just made animated .gifs of those scenes. It probably would’ve been smaller and load quicker.
This sure blows that myth of ’80s anime being a lot smoother than today’s anime.
>>Real punani > anime punani
Which is why men cease jerking off once they get a girlfriend, and especially once they get married. While I have respeck for Ali G., in real life it seems few men value the real punani so highly that they abjure the fake. It’s a clue that human relationships aren’t necessarily to be judged success or failure by how much sexual satisfaction either party is getting from it–and forcing that test on two people can be as false in a relationship as cheating around. On the flip side, this is why Ogiue and Ohno are such positive role models for the new generation.
Anime punani never makes fun of you or forgets to call you back. 🙁
I don’t think citing AoD reviews helps anyone’s arguments much, considering the bizarre grading system they have. When a B+ is average, something ain’t right.
Dave, anime punani will only make fun of you if your name is Chase Wang.
“P.S. Scotty needs to worry less about seeing tits and ass in anime and get out more often. Real punani > anime punani”
Well, anime punani (or “PUNANIME” as it were) is just fine and dandy, but you could be getting so much more bang for your buck (BEST PUN EVER) watching like, actual anime porn as opposed to this weird psuedo-porn harem stuff.
On to more pressing matters: Now that we’re getting into the bad 80’s anime here, I think it’s up to either Daryl or Fast Karate to take on Genocyber. WOO HOO.
Seeing as it can only get worse before it gets better, why not add Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer to that, and spicy it up with Weiss Kreuz and Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne.
;p
Ré
Awright, Angel Cop is up next! Mel Gibson’s got nothing on Ichiro Itano!
Seeing as it can only get worse before it gets better, why not add Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer to that, and spicy it up with Weiss Kreuz and Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne.
Gowcaizer YEAH, that’s an incredibly awful show, Weiss Kreuz, YES now that is crap on a stick, Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne…
…
Wait…
What’s wrong with Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne? It’s just a decent little magical girl show, sure it has a pretty ridiculous premise, but nothing worse than any other magical girl show. Am I missing something here?
When a B+ is average, something ain’t right.
PREACH IT SISTA.
It’s not like Chris Bevridge et al. have their hands in the anime company cookie pots, or whatever, but it’s hard to trust their stuff/use it as a source when it seems like practically everything on the market gets a good grade. Not everything out there is great, y’know…
Years ago at my college anime club I remember watching the first ep of Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne and feeling sick at the horrible animation. The characters looked catatonic, their eyes almost pointing to different directions and, yeah, as you’ve pointed out Gerald, it’s pretty cliché. So, why rank it with the shows I mentioned? Well, I guess it’s the kind of bad that is not “so bad it’s good” as you guys have pointed out before. Hey, I have no problem with the magical girl genre. I remember watching Card Captor Sakura back in the VHS fansub days, and while it wasn’t anything revolutionary, the animation and the characters and the direction had quite an appeal to it. I can forgive shows that don’t have flashy animation but that support it with good story (Mushishi is a great example – REALLY, REALLY good show), and I can forgive shows with a weak story, but that have incredible animation (I’ve watched Dead Leaves many times, and it’s always a lot of fun), BUT, when a show has neither, then what is there really to enjoy?
Ré
Hey Daryle, you should review kanon ( How to to spell that show) or mew mew tarato, because i know you want to.
Have anyone of you seen Sonic X, or The Sonic Movie.
Epic Win!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, that’s it. Black is white. Up is down. New Shimmer is neither a floor wax NOR a dessert topping.
I woke this morning to hear a report on NPR about the AMV contest at Otakon. Like it was the latest thing sweeping the nation or something.
Where have we, as a people, gone wrong?
On the other hand, it was in the leadup-to-the-top-of-the-hour-story, which is usually their slot for oddball stuff that is too eclectic to pair up with any other story.
But still…AMVs on NPR…is there no escape?
I can forgive shows that don’t have flashy animation but that support it with good story (Mushishi is a great example – REALLY, REALLY good show)
WTF! Mushishi has amazing animation. It’s done in twos! Yes, Mushishi is an amazing show and manga, but if you’re saying that animation is no good, you have no clue what you are talking about.
Whoa, hang on there! You’re totally right, and I guess something got lost in the translation. What I meant by flashy is constant action scenes, and explosions, and the camera moving, (like Hiroyuki Imaishi’s animation or Yoshinori Kanada’s) … But, there is no doubt that the animation in Mushishi is great! Maybe I should have cleared that up – sorry :/ – but, yeah, Mushishi has some great subtle animation, which is as good as the flashy off the wall zany stuff. Don’t worry apreche, I’m on your team!
🙂
Ré
PS: not all of it is on 2’s. All the effects, from what I noticed going frame by frame, are on 1’s. It’s a well balanced mix – there are some good animators/directors on that show (Tadashi Hiramatsu is probably the most underrated one, but then again, who’d know who he is here?)
tim eldred said…
Well, that’s it. Black is white. Up is down. New Shimmer is neither a floor wax NOR a dessert topping.
Haven’t heard that statement in a long time!
I woke this morning to hear a report on NPR about the AMV contest at Otakon. Like it was the latest thing sweeping the nation or something.
Heh, NPR you say?…..
Where have we, as a people, gone wrong?
I feel your pain (especially NPR).
I sometimes loathe the guys who do those “YouTube Poop” vids often because of what MovieMaker has brought to the internet with it’s simple-ass approach to video editing that was once a time-consuming and skillful craft. They thing they have something going, but their concept isn’t new at all. I’ve seen that stuff decades before in the experimental, juxtapositional world of the pretentious collage work done by film majors and would-be dreamers. The only difference was that they had to do things all in analog, getting their hands dirty pulling and cutting footage in an effort to create what they considered ‘art’ as the final composition.
Still, it’s fun laughing at the stupid vids!
There’s some funny shit on youtube. I really like the one were some guy re-dubbed Sonic X, that shit made me laugh my ass off.
Anyone here think Narato is fucking gay?
On something completely unrelated to this week’s episode…
Does anybody here have the scripts for the three Votoms OVA’s that Newtype Animation/NT-Anime did in the late 90’s? We have R2’s, we have someone to do cleanup, and we have a lead on an alternative script for one of them, but the more help we can get, the better.
Shining Heresay will follow once we get through these, if that helps. =)
Actually, MegaZone 23 III was dubbed in the UK by Manga UK and did pretty well. It was released on it’s own with the “III” removed from the cover (and both parts edited together to form a movie).
In fact, Manga UK’s translation of the show made a lot more sense, and I found it to be a really good movie, but ADV’s translation (I imported the DVD set) for some reason seems to be a lot more vague and doesn’t explain everything.
“it doesn’t do anything I can think of that is noteworthy”
Haha oh lord the Birth review was shameful
you missed the entire point. the whole thing was a test bed for trying out cool, cartoony animation – it was animation porn and nothing more.
also this movie was extremely influential to many animators and is one of THE best examples of the style of Yoshinori Kanada, who is widely recognized as one of the best animators out there. famous modern animators like Hiroyuki Imaishi LOVE this movie and view it as a shining example
now I’m not saying the story isn’t good but for christ’s sake, you didn’t even mention the visuals.
“now I’m not saying the story isn’t good ” I mean “is good”
“view it as a shining example”
*of quality animation
Dammit, my nerd rage got in the way of my typing skillz.
I kinda apologize for reacting in such a needlessly combative way. I still think this review was a bit of a blunder but my initial reaction was pretty moronic.
Also sorry about the avatar, I kinda registered a troll account for Sankaku Complex and didn’t expect the display picture to pop up on other blogs. OH WELL.
Amazing episode.
I really love the podcast; mostly because of the replayability. I have listened to every episode–some multiple times–since I started listening in 2010. Hopefully you three can start releasing episodes in a more timely fashion again, but even if not, there is a great backlog of reviews from which to listen. Old news segments are still entertaining in their own way as well, thanks to my alien space-brain hindsight powers.
Please keep the AWO propaganda alive. We may win this yet.
What is that version of Fly Me to the Moon at 45:00? [I don’t know. Ask @Mach_Dent on Twitter, since that’s a promo segment that he made. –Daryl]