Disappointment Leads to Lack of Quotes

Hello.

I have decided to try my hand at not only making reviews shorter, but also only reviewing two items per entry. This will be the only exception due to reviewing a movie and a book which are of the same thing. I hope people will like this variant more, but if not feel free to leave some feedback.

As mentioned previously, I was working on reading and then watching Prisoner of Azkaban. Both the book and movie are unique within the series. Originally, this was close to my favorite within the Harry Potter series. However, as time goes on, it seems to move further down the list. I have an issue with the pacing. It just seems a bit off, within the book. It is also important to note that I usually have issues with how time travel is done. It has a habit of completely destroying a story for me outside of the science fiction genre. With this book and movie it is not too bad, though it seems to slow down the book quite a bit. The way the movie pacing is done, just worked better overall. I really enjoyed the costumes and camera work choices with the movie. I might disagree with some choices made, but given the source material I give the Prisoner of Azkaban movie a B+. On the other hand, the book really let me down. The book gets a B- and was actually bordering on a C+. But, the writing technique is still very good.

This will be my last entry for a while having to do with Harry Potter. The reason being I received so many books for Christmas, I would really like to spend time on things I have yet to read. I do plan on picking the series back up after a few new books.

I was listening to ANNCast, Anime News Network’s podcast, recently. If you enjoy anime or manga you really should check it out. I cannot recommend it enough. Great insight and funny dialogue. They had a best of the 2000’s show and one anime mentioned which I never watched before was The Sky Crawlers. Most on the show seemed to really enjoy it. So, I picked up the Blu-Ray. The artwork was very well done. The voice acting was also quite good. The story on the other hand, was disappointing. The metaphors they set up were quite obvious but if the movie was a bit shorter I would have probably really enjoyed it. The problem is that any movie over 2 hours has to justify itself. You cannot, as a director, think that your vision is so profound that you need extended periods of time without justifying it to the audience. If you do not, it comes off as arrogant and at the very worst preachy. I was really surprised because normally I agree with their opinions on the podcast. This missed the mark for me and reminded me of how many movies and television shows overstay their welcome. The Sky Crawlers get a C+.

Just a quick side note to add. I have been watching the second season of Chuck for the second time because my girlfriend wanted to watch it and she does not have a Blu-Ray player… I know. Anyways, it is still just as funny. This series is a wonderful example of how good writing and acting can elevate a show into something special that people really care about. I bought the third and fourth season already and I am just waiting for her to be here to watch it with me.

Hopefully this was a better format. Let me know. Take care all, and watch UFC on FX tonight! Get it done Belfort!!

People Are Like Dice. You Throw Yourself in the Direction of Your Own Choosing.

Hello fellow bloggers. My reviews will be of Black Lagoon, an action anime created in 2006, and The Celluloid Closet, a film made in 1995 dealing with gay portrayal in movies.

Before I delve into my reviews, I thought I’d give honorable mention to Downton Abbey. I just started watching (I know, late to the party) and I am extremely impressed. The setting is quite fun but the true gem is the wonderful acting. Every single character is portrayed outstandingly by a cast that includes Maggie Smith (a personal favorite of mine). I look forward to seeing more of the show.

Also, I am a little under halfway through Prisoner of Azkaban. The re-read is going relatively quickly. I am enjoying it quite a bit. The twins are starting to endear themselves to me all over again. I don’t want to say too much else as I will save my main comments until the actual review. However, it should be noting that at this point I truly believe Peeves needed to be in the movies. I see no reason why the school’s favorite trickster couldn’t make a few cameos.

To the reviews! Black Lagoon is possibly one of the most complete anime series I have ever watched, and I have seen quite a bit over the years. I would put the story right up there with an Evangelion or a Cowboy Bebop. It is about a group of mercenaries called The Lagoon Company. They take up jobs with many clients but their primary is Hotel Moscow, a Russian crime syndicate who they are quite friendly with. As I stated, the story is very well done. You follow The Lagoon Company around and witness not only missions but character growth. It reminds me a lot of Firefly because as a viewer, you are actually cheering on guns for hire. Voice acting is very important to this series because without a connection to the characters, even this great story would be meaningless. Within the first episode I was shocked. The voice casting was perfect. This is now two anime series in a row that have impressed me with their English voice actors.

Another important note is that the animation is very well done. I really cannot express how happy it makes me to be able to own anime on Blu-Ray. The format just does wonders for the genre. So with all these positives you would expect the series to get an A+ right? It was actually planned until a character within the show ruined it for me. This will be a bit of a spoiler, so if you have not watched the show yet please skip over these next lines. At end of the story, there is a confrontation between Rock/Revy and Yukio/Ginji. In a fit of anger, Yukio berates Rock and explains that his judgement of other people is disgusting, as he has not chosen an actual side for his life, he is stuck in the twilight. This puts him in an awkward position due to the fact that he is neither hero, nor anti-hero, nor even villain, Rock basically is just nothing. This would normally not be an issue because it gives him a moment of self-reflection and then he gets to resolve it, only HE NEVER DOES! At the very end of the show Rock states that he will continue to be in the twilight. AND IT ENDS! What? You rip apart the character and then he is cool with it? How does that even make sense?? It was such a disappointment. So even though 99% of the show is outstanding, I cannot give this the highest mark possible all because of a stupid mistake on the part of the writing.

The Black Lagoon ends up being an A-.

My next and last review is of The Celluloid Closet. This was actually a follow-up to a documentary I recently watched about Vito Russo, a gay activist who unfortunately passed. The movie had a lot of great interviews of Tom Hanks, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Curtis and many others. The film explained the history of gays in movies and how during many years they disguised their presence. They included numerous film clips, some of which I had seen before but had no idea there were hidden meanings of words spoken or movements given. The Celluloid Closet treats the topic with the respect it deserves. The reason for this is it was based on lectures that Vito Russo himself used to give around the USA. There are years of painstaking research put into this film. Russo went through hundreds of hours of movies trying to find scenes he could use and there are so many you almost lose track. Unfortunately, Vito Russo never got to see this movie. He passed away due to AIDS in 1990.

I want my readers to know how important this subject is to me. I have gay friends and I also have gay family members. Even today, there is still so much hate in the world for people who are just being themselves. There has been quite a bit of progress which is wonderful but there is still hate and ignorance in the world. I believe that documentaries and films like this were the first real step towards understanding and visibility. The next step I do believe is Glee, and yes, The New Normal. One of the greatest things shown in The New Normal is how David and Bryan act with each other. How when they kiss it is just part of their daily lives. The show makes it a point to never give those scenes extra focus. I cannot recall that in another broadcast show. Yes they have passion in their relationship but it is primarily pure love and caring that we see as the audience. To me, that is real progress. However I just went way off track. My apologies.

The Celluloid Closet gets an A+. How could I give it anything less?

I hope you check out both. Neither is very expensive and both are worth multiple viewings. Now if you will excuse me, I have to water my tree. Yes, I finally have a Christmas tree!

My family will be having a rough time this Christmas because of a loss we had at the beginning of the year. I know others have suffered as well. My advice is to read and watch all the books, films, and television you can handle. No matter how bad things get, they have the ability to give us an escape and make life just a little easier.

Likes, Dislikes, and Swerves

I consider myself to be a pretty well-rounded guy on the surface, however when you look a little deeper, within my interests I am fairly picky. I make no qualms about this, though it does make it very difficult to find a reviewer that I completely agree with. A few I really enjoy, such as Anime News Network’s Bamboo Dong and Zac Bertschy or for video games MMOTroll. Even still, with being picky, anomalies occur.

Within the anime/manga grape-vine, I heard of an extremely popular, and highly rated title called Madoka Magica. I was super excited to get my hands on it. Money has been tight, but I finally got to sit down with my very own volume one, and just enjoy it. Enjoy turned out to be a tricky word… I can see why people enjoyed it, you have magic, empowered (non-fanservice) girls, fighting, very nice artwork, and to top it all off a bloody death to separate it from the kiddy magic genre. But is that really enough? Now, I come from a long line of slapstick and mundane anime upbringing. So, I can appreciate those for what they are and go about my day, but when I sit down and read something that I expect to have some deeper thought, and this is what I get, disappointment just stabs me to the bone. Maybe the anime is better, but for how high the price tag is on it right now, I will be shying away from it for quite a while.

Have we gotten to the point where our entertainment lacks the thought we all crave so intensely? Why is it that if I want fanservice there are hundreds of titles out there? Within that genre quite a few of them could be considered the perfect fanservice show. Where is my Akira, Planetes and Evangelion? Where is my damned Cowboy Bebop? How can a few years pass and companies refuse to back things like Tiger & Bunny but Naruto is almost hitting 300 episodes? I get it. The money you can get from a Naruto or a One Piece is huge and they alone drive the actual industry, but what happened to art being art? Why are 80’s and 90’s anime so far ahead of the curve that present day can’t catch up? I know the anime bubble burst but there is no reason that Funimation can’t put out something worth watching outside of a stream service.

I am stuck buying re-releases of anime, or one-off movies because the market is beyond terrible. I am a collector. I do not want to watch shows on my computer and then never own it. I keep listening to the Anime News Network podcast hoping for good news but the only praise given is to things not released here, shows that you can only get streaming, or limited availability titles that could almost cost you a month’s rent for the first season. Something needs to give, or this industry will be run by children within 10 years, as it is we are very close to that being true.

I’m sorry for the rant, but disappointment is quite a downer. I really would like to know when did the USA and England became more creative than Japan though. Why are our television shows and video games telling better stories?

On the positive end, World’s Finest, a new DC comic series, is very good. Everyone should check it out. I’m a big fan of the art style.

I miss Lost…

Summer Wars… Koi-Koi!

Hello my friends. I appologize for not posting sooner, however my Grandma (who I was very close to) passed away. It has been very difficult for me and my family to deal with. However, I recently saw an anime that touched me to the point where I had to post a short review, and hopefully push more people to watch it.

Summer Wars was an anime I avoided for several years, because my Grandma had not been in the best health, and in Summer Wars [SPOILER] the great grandmother passes away [SPOILER]. It was something I initially thought I could not deal with seeing, but after my Grandma’s passing I felt it might be somewhat cathartic. I had no idea how right I would be.

There are two main characters, though I would argue the great grandmother is just as important and should be considered the third. Kenji, who is a shy math wiz, and Natsuki who is his friend, but quickly becomes his girlfriend after she asks him to pretend for her great grandmother’s sake. Along the way they work in a virtual reality that everyone belongs to, called OZ. Think .Hack but much more colorful, and when viewed from a Blu-Ray source much more vibrant and flat out gorgeous. The supporting cast size will immediately make you think Miyazaki, and it is wonderful. The film, though having few main characters, has an entire family to help it along. In all honesty, the family makes the show for me. Along with a great cast they also introduce a game I have never heard of before called Koi-Koi. It is played with Hanafuda cards and actually interested me enough that I might try to play one day. Hosoda, the director, also adds the twist of a very real peril in which not just the family will be affected, but the entire country, maybe even the world. The bottom line, in regard to themes though, is heart, caring, believing that there is good in people no matter how long it might take to get to it, and rallying behind the people you love.

One thing I want to really stress to you all. As an anime fan, I know how difficult English dubs can be to listen to sometimes. They can be absolutely brutal. However, there are a few which just work. Off the top of my head Baccano would lead the pack. The reason I bring this up is because Summer Wars needs to be watched in English. I never thought I would say it, but yes, the dubbing is that good. You hear the emotion, the sadness, the pain of every single character and you need to hear it in your native language in order to get the full effect. If I could personally go up to every single one of the English voice actors, shake their hand, then thank them I would. Please, trust me, watch the English.

It is very hard for me to be moved. Odd segway right? Wait for it. My girlfriend actually makes fun of me because of how sensitive she is with movies, and television shows yet I never get to the same level. Upon viewing this, and I am not ashamed in any way to say it, I cried. No it wasn’t once. I cried three times viewing this movie. Sure, you could say it was because of my recent loss. Maybe  I was overly sensitive? No, you take my word for it. This movie, if you have a close family, if you understand love and hope, will move you to tears.

I am glad I finally sat down and watched this wonderful movie. No, I won’t call it an anime movie, it transends that sort of genre labeling with how outstanding it is from beginning to end. Buy the Blu-Ray, watch it, and appreciate everyone in your family. A+, period.

Love your family, spend time with them, and tell them how much they mean to you.