Reviews

I wish I could write about spoilers. But I can't. And I won't out of principle. But more on that later.

I got to see Badlands Rumble during its world premier run at Sakura-Con 2010 in Seattle. This was almost a year after seeing the world premier of the trailer and the panel at Anime Expo in 2009. I had been excited about this since the rumors started, and the at the panel I was given a taste of what the movie could be.

By the time I finally saw it I didn't care that it was raw and I couldn't understand more than just a couple of passing phrases. It was Trigun. It was a movie. It had the original cast. It was SHINY. And oh yeah. Wolfwood was back. I sat in a fangirl stupor enjoying the pretty on the screen. So that's why I really can't write about spoilers - I suppose I could try and give something away via analyzing the animation, but I could be very, very wrong.

Chronologically speaking, Badlands Rumble takes place somewhere in the middle of the series. Hence Wolfwood still being alive. The prologue is dated about twenty years (I think) before the start of the series, but the bulk of the movie takes place in the middle of the series. In addition to fan favorite characters returning (including Wolfwood, but you should know this already), there are a handful of new characters created just for the movie. In terms of animation, it's much sharper and cleaner than the TV series - basically it's what the TV series would look like if they made it today. It should be noted, however, that despite the ten year gap in production between the series and the movie, the character designs are the same. No radical make-overs, they just look cleaner and sharper. Seriously, visually speaking, the movie is a treat.

A major coup for the movie is the return of the four original cast members. No word on if it will cross over into the dub or not (if Funimation is smart, they'll have the four main actors return). Another coup is Tsuneo Imahori returning for the music. While it's not the exact same tracks from the series, the spirit of the music is the same, all while keeping an independent feeling unique to the movie.

Big Damn Movie, indeed! As my friends and I exited the auditorium, Satoshi Nishimura thanked everyone who attended at the door. My friends and I enjoyed ourselves so much we actually bowed and thanked him for the honor of allowing us to attend one of the first screenings of the movie. He got all embarrassed and I swear he blushed. But seriously. Well deserved praise, Nishimura-san.

It should be noted that the first time a recognizable character appeared on screen, the whole room went up in cheers and whoops of joy. Even when Kuroneko-sama appeared. Actually, every time Kuroneko-sama appeared. I think it goes to show just how much the American audience loves Trigun, and the fact that even ten years later it could get its very own Big Damn Movie. I have no idea what its reception at Anime Expo was this year (as it had finally been subtitled at that point), but I can imagine that it was just as enthusiastic as it was at Sakura-con, especially given how packed the Trigun movie panel was the year before.

I cannot wait until this movie comes out on DVD. I was completely blown away by watching it raw, I'm sure that feeling will be ramped up to eleven when I can finally understand what they're saying.

I can't count the number of times I've read this novel. Since I first picked it up six years ago, I've read it to the point of near memorization. My biggest fear would be that the movie would destroy what the book so carefully constructed.

I was thrilled when I saw that the movie kept relatively true to the book. With any novel-to-screen adaption, things are lost. This is a rare exception, where the changes help those who haven't read the novel understand what is going on. Even the condensing of events doesn't leave the viewer feeling as if something might be missing.

The cinematography is amazing. The use of symbolism and color emphasize the storyline, and portray the subtleties of geisha life. It also shows that geisha are not prostitutes, but women who are elite entertainers. The score by John Williams sounds traditionally Japanese, and features cello solos by Yo-Yo Ma and violin solos by Itzhak Perlman. If anything, the movie will garner attention for the simple things like the visual and musical aspects.

The biggest issue most people have is the fact that they cast Chinese actresses in the lead roles of Sayuri, Mameha, and Hastumomo. Since when have people gotten all huffy over the nationality of actors and actresses? Chayanne, who is Puerto Rican, played a Cuban in Dance With Me (1998), but I didn't hear everyone getting bent out of shape about it. And back in the early days of cinema, it wasn't uncommon for a white person to "black" themselves, and play an African or African-American. Who cares about the ethnicity of an actor or actress? If anything, I am in awe of Michelle Yeoh, Li Gong, and Zhang Ziyi who were able to step past the cultural barrier and completely transform themselves into the roles of a geisha. I understand that there is still some sensitivity about Chinese actresses playing such a iconic Japanese role, and that it stems from both sides. But great acting does matter. If a Russian-born actor can establish his career playing the King of Siam (I'm talking about Yul Bryner), ethnicity shouldn't matter. Talent should, and that is where Marshall made the right choice in casting.

I can't wait until this movie comes out on DVD and I can watch it again and again. By not losing everything that made the book a stand out, this movie will be a sleeper hit, attract those with an interest in Asian culture and the fans of the book. Don't knock it until you see it.

I came across this channel surfing one afternoon and became intrigued. This wasn't like other newer Nicktoons, this one was of the same quality of when the Nicktoons numbered three, Doug, Rugrats and Ren & Stimpy. "Danny Phantom" comes from the mind of Butch Hartman, the same guy who brought us "The Fairly Odd Parents."

Danny Phantom revolves around the life of fourteen-year-old Daniel "Danny" Fenton, his ghost hunting parents Jack and Maddie, his sixteen-going-on-thirty sister Jazz who thinks she's an adult, and his two best friends: Tucker, resident techno-whiz loudmouth, and Sam, a free-thinking, ultra-recyclo vegetarian Goth girl. Dealing with the normal trial and tribulations of being a freshman at Casper High is hard enough. Dealing with the abnormal trials and tribulations of being half ghost freshman at Casper High only makes thing worse.

The series smartly combines the ordeals of high school (like the mystery meat in the cafeteria, frog dissections, and wanting to be part of the "in" crowd) with the supernatural super hero story of average teenage boy must save the world from those who wish to see is blown clear to the Ghost Zone, not to mention he'd rather be sitting at home playing video games or hanging out at the local water park with his friends. A liberal sprinkling of pop culture references, parodies, and romance only add to the charm and wit of this show.

Fans of "The Fairly Odd Parents" may not find this show worth watching. Aimed at a slightly older crowd, "Danny Phantom" echoes the horror of going through that painstaking first year of high school, with embarrassing parents, overprotective siblings in the senior class, and mediocre grades to boot. Tweens, teens, and college students will most likely find this show interesting and amusing. Anyone younger than thirteen might not get all of the pop-culture references and jokes.

This is Ghostbusters for a new generation, and reminds me of many Saturday mornings spent watching my favorite New York ghost fighting team in action.

I was recommended this anime by a new friend when I was in high school. Only now, years later, can I appreciate the true work that is Fushigi Yuugi.

Some people complain that the plot is mediocre, the characters are two dimensional, and the animation is horrible. There are times when the plot is shallow, the characters don't seem much more than talking head, and because it's ten years old, the animation isn't what we've come to expect. It's retro; think of watching Speed Racer back in the eighties, or Voltron in the nineties.

The plot revolves around fifteen-year-old Miaka Yuuki, a typical high school girl whose main concerns are boys, food, and shopping. Living with her single mom and college aged brother, Miaka attends junior high school, barely passing her classes and being constantly reprimanded by her best friend and resident genius Yui Hongo. When Yui goes to the library one afternoon, Miaka tags along. In the restricted room of the library, the two girls come across a book titled, "The Universe of the Four Gods." They begin to read it, and magically they are sucked into ancient China. Eventually Yui is able to leave the book, leaving Miaka alone in a strange world with a greedy stranger known only as Tamahome. Miaka is then taken to the emperor of the empire she landed in and is told that she is the savior they've been waiting for, the Priestess of Suzaku who will summon the Beast God and save Konan. As it turns out, each Priestess has seven warriors that were born to protect her, Tamahome, and the Emperor Hotohori, being two of them. Now Miaka must embark on a quest to find the remaining warriors and then she can save the world.

Naturally the road is never easy, and some fairly predictable situations occur. Love triangles, rivalries, concerned older siblings, and typical young love blossom through out the fifty-two episode series. Despite some standard clichés that come with the "teenaged girl saves the world" scenario, there are some moments of genuine, gut wrenching story telling. Each character has a very elaborate back story, and while not every character has tragic origins, each one is the way they are because of the events of their past. Only a handful of the back stories are told, some of them evoking pure emotional responses from the view. Other time it's not so much their past, as their present that makes the view reach for a box of tissues.

There is a unique blend of romance, humor, fantasy, and tragedy thrown together for this series. If romantic comedies with a splash of drama is something you enjoy, don't miss an opportunity to watch Fushigi Yugi.

Fruits Basket can be summed up in a few phrases: Girl meets boy and cousins. Girl accidentally hugs one cousin. Cousin turns into bright orange cat with a bad attitude. Girl also has full body contact with boy and his other cousin, and is presented with a rat and a dog as well.

Part romance, part comedy, part drama, part action, Fruits Basket blends together characters that feel real and people can identify with. The animation quality is high end, with soft coloring and amazing watercolor backgrounds.

The animation is based on the manga of the same title by Natsuki Takaya. Fans of the manga will recognize many of the scenes as some are taken straight from the manga panels. It remains fairly faithful to the original manga.

If you enjoyed the manga, you will enjoy the anime. Funny, thought-provoking, and sad, Fruits Baskets will make you feel all of your emotions in a way you've never felt them before.

Saiyuki is based on Kazuya Minekura's manga based loosely on the Chinese legend of Xiyouji. The keyword there is loosely.

There are several elements of the old legend present in this particular retelling: a band of four, a monk and his three demon companions, must travel to the west, overcoming enemies that would like to stop their progress. The original legend has the quartet fetching sutras, the point of Minekura's story is to stop the resurrection of the sealed demon Gyumaoh. However, Minekura also gave the story a few updates, so look for things like jeeps, ATM cards, and modern clothing set in what looks like it should be ancient China. This makes the story a little easier to understand, especially if the viewer isn't all that familiar with ancient China.

The characters are also tweaked. Gone are the family friendly versions that tend to populate the re-tellings. Instead the four pretty-boy heroes are rough and tumble - with the mouths and habits to match. Genjo Sanzo is a chain smoking, hard drinking, rouge priest with loads of charisma, drooping purple eyes and golden hair. Sha Gojyo is a a womanizing half-demon who smokes like a chimney and drinks like a fish. Cho Hakkai is a demon whose kind smile and dry humor hides a dark and painful past. Lastly Son Goku is a mischievous heretic born from a rock with an appetite that can't be filled.

Visually, Saiyuki is stunning. Mostly done with computers, the animation quality is high end, and compliments Minekura's character designs. The score is an eclectic mix of bad 80's rock, southern bluegrass, and Buddhist chants.

Perhaps Saiyuki's best quality is that it is one of the rare animes where the dubbed version is actually better than the original Japanese. The dialogue represents the humor of the original tenfold. As Japanese humor and American humor isn't the same, the translation of the jokes into American humor make for a much more enjoyable time, and the story comes to life as never before.

This is the Journey to the Max!

For those who have seen the Escaflowne television series know that it was a beautifully complex shoujou anime with plenty of action, adventure, and romance.

The movie, however, is a completely different animal. Most viewers try to compare the television series to the movie, and thus usually disregard the movie as trash, as it is not a faithful retelling of the series. So, if you haven't seen this movie yet, but have seen the series, remember they are two completely different creatures, each wonderful and unique.

The most noticeable change is in the character design. Nobuteru Yuuki (who also did the designs for Chrono Cross, X, and Record of Lodess War) slightly altered the character's distinctive looks from the TV series. They now closely resemble the characters from Chrono Cross (the similarity between Millerna and Kid is the most obvious). The plot was also trimmed of the intricate subplots to fit into a decent running time, and thus some of the characters from the series do not appear. The biggest change is the inclusion of more action and violence, so we're talking flying body parts and lots of blood spraying. This was done to attract more males to the fanbase as the TV series had a fanbase that was 80% female.

Other things, however, haven't changed. Yoko Kanno and her partner Hajime Mizoguchi return with an excellent score of blended nationalities to give it a truly unique sound that makes it seem as if we are really listening to the music from another world.

Overall, the movie is an excellent example of anime at its best. Between the quality of the animation and overall production, this movie is a must see for anyone who loves any form of animation.