Thoughts from an anime-niac

[DR. BELCH]

Here's something I've pondered for some time. I've seen it in Pokemon, Cardcaptors, Tenchi Muyo, and even Dragonball Z on the rare occassions I watch it. Why is it when a character in anime is sleeping, a big bubble of boogers comes blowing out of their nose? Aahhhgadda. Use a tissue, for the love of Emil Sitka.

I finally saw Pokemon The Movie 2000 yesterday...and found it fairly enjoyable. Though I was confounded by the whole thing with the collector, the three birds, and the creature Lugia and rellay didn't pay much attention to the Pokemon battles...it was the human dynamic that caught my attention.
This has been discussed at length in the "Misty and Ash" thread, but now I've finally seen it for myself: the lady doth protest too much. Note that when Melody kisses Ash how she flushes and behaves like she's about three seconds from a loud jealous hissy. Yet when Mel asks if they're lovers, she denies it viciously. Later she argues semantics: "Well, he's a boy...and he's a friend...but that's all!" She seems to be wearing down...particularly when she admits he's never alone after the little blighter goes out to sea because "he has me."
As I've said before, there's something aqui that is left eternally unsaid because Ashy-boy is your typical dense man who can't see when a woman has feelings for him and Misty's too much of a good girl to come out and say it directly (unless, in a fit of temper or a drunken stupor she blurts "I love you!", but then will either blush and deny it or pass out immediately from too much booze.
Now...Misty does get a chance to sneak a kiss after Lugia's temper tantrum smashes the villian's fortress, Ash nearly drowns, and she fishes him out of the drink, under the pretense of giving mouth-to-mouth, but is too much of a good girl to take it. More's the pity...for me that would have made the whole d*** movie. "Don't get too excited," she could lie to him (and herself). "You were asphixiating. I saved you. There was nothing else in it." Then again, maybe there was a scene like that, but some commie dubberb*st*rd edited it out in translation.
And of course, Jessy and James were great. They're at their best when trying to do good, even if their motives aren't the most altruistic (they can't let the world go to hell because it would affect their lives personally). Jessy could be a heroine if she wanted to, and first sought costly psychotherapy. And James, of course, has that great line about the opposite sex being nothing but trouble, "Yes...and that's the kind of trouble...I stay out of."

I've gotten really into anime recently. It isn't so much the plotlines, but the artwork. Though I don't go for pretty-boy male characters, I'm really smitten with the women...esp. their eyes, w/ the shimmering effect. Lately I've been trying to emulate the style in my own work. Someday I may learn to work my mom's scanner and post a few of my sketches.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Hey, Belch--if you don't like pretty boy characters (Gundam Wing), you should still give 08th MS Team a shot, which is airing in July. 08th MS Team is a Gundam series set in a different continuity (most people say the REAL one, since it's based on the original).

It's only 12 episodes, but it's got some juicy character stuff and a much grittier war atmosphere (unlike Gundam Wing which often looked gimmicky and toyish). It's also got romance and chicks.

Also airing in July is the ORIGINAL Mobile Suit Gundam series. Needless to say, it's old--1979, in fact. So the art and animation is VERY dated, but the story was revolutionary at the time since it took itself more seriously than other cartoon TV series before and it had a very tight continuity. There are episodes that are filler material, and there is still some odd comedy sprinkled here and there, but things really start to steam up when they develop a web of connections between several key characters. It's also groundbreaking in that the villain in this show was a leap above most since he was sympathetic as well as ruthless. There are 2 key women in this show--one of which develops feelings for both the hero and the villain of the show, and this actually becomes a focal point for the second half of the series. So I know you dig that kind of stuff.

Both will air on Cartoon Network. At least give them a shot. Mobile Suit Gundam in particular would be educational since it is a legitimate landmark in anime history.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Now that the topic of anime is still fresh in my mind, I'm wondering, what kind of anime titles do they actually carry in your local video/DVD stores?

[DR. BELCH]

...it's been a while since I've been to the video stores. I do remember seeing DBZ and SM videos at the Indian Mall (in Jonesboro) a couple of years back but I don't know if they were dubbed or what.

Those Gundam shorts sound interesting. I'll have to check Yahoo TV for times and make a note of them. And I'm still pining for Big O. Our Dorothy Wainwright was quite fetching for an android....

[Peace Keeper]

VANDREAD only had 3 male characters. The other 125 were female. A lot of people complained about the lack of character development, but a second season is currently airing in Japan so maybe they will elaborate on them. I've seen the 1st season (13 episodes), and I thought it was pretty shway. All the mecha is done in CGI.





It takes place in a future so distant, that men and women live on seperate planets. Basically the main character, Hibiki (along w/ 2 other men), is captured by the women pirates who attack the giant exploration ship he's on, shortly after its launch. Some kind of anomaly occured while the woman were raiding the men's ship, which enables Hibiki's robot (a vangaurd) to "unite" w/ the women's fighters (dreads). Naturally, when the vangaurd unites with a dread, the resulting combination is more powerful. They use it to fight stuff. The first episode is awesome. The other episodes are no way near as good, but they're still worth watching. It's better than most other anime. It should come to the US soon.

[I.R Joey]

This has been discussed at length in the "Misty and Ash" thread, but now I've finally seen it for myself: the lady doth protest too much. Note that when Melody kisses Ash how she flushes and behaves like she's about three seconds from a loud jealous hissy. Yet when Mel asks if they're lovers, she denies it viciously. Later she argues semantics: "Well, he's a boy...and he's a friend...but that's all!" She seems to be wearing down...particularly when she admits he's never alone after the little blighter goes out to sea because "he has me."




Hah I knew I wasn't crazy.

[RockItShipper]

Originally posted by I.R Joey
This has been discussed at length in the "Misty and Ash" thread, but now I've finally seen it for myself: the lady doth protest too much. Note that when Melody kisses Ash how she flushes and behaves like she's about three seconds from a loud jealous hissy. Yet when Mel asks if they're lovers, she denies it viciously. Later she argues semantics: "Well, he's a boy...and he's a friend...but that's all!" She seems to be wearing down...particularly when she admits he's never alone after the little blighter goes out to sea because "he has me."


Hah I knew I wasn't crazy.

And I still think it's more along the lines of "since 'Brock' is out of the picture now...." And it's not too constant in the original script- like in that scene where "Tracey" runs ahead and asks if "Misty's" talking about him... Forget what it was but it sure as hell was anything related to AAML. Maybe "Ash" had a chance then, but I really think it disappeared the minute "Brock" came back and started hitting on girls again...

As for the Pokemon Collector, maybe it's some Iron Chef in-joke? The Collector was voiced by Kaga Takeshi, the guy who hosts it. 4 birds, 4 Iron Chefs...

Anyway, after weeks of not hearing from the little brat I lent Pokemon 3 to... I picked up the fansub... "Brock" hit on someone he knew was a 6-year-old in a woman's body. The puzzled child told him he was weird. Apparently "Wobbafett" in Japan is a pun on "that's right"... And I noticed some parts of the subbing were off. Wooo! Getting better at this thing!

[DR. BELCH]

ROCKITSHIPPER:
And I still think it's more along the lines of "since 'Brock' is out of the picture now...." Maybe "Ash" had a chance then, but I really think it disappeared the minute "Brock" came back and started hitting on girls again...

Only 13 and in her first love triangle! You have to wonder whether to pity or envy Misty! I'm inclined to agree, though. Things might have been vastly different if Ash were a little less dense or Misty were a little more forward...like I said, she missed her chance when she hauled him out of the water. One must wonder if she ever has that opportunity with Brock, will her inhibitions be d***ed? Also, it's interesting to note I may not be the only one who thought Tracey's line there was superfluous/weirdly dubbed....

[In the Pokemon 3 fansub] "Brock" hit on someone he knew was a 6-year-old in a woman's body. The puzzled child told him he was weird.

This takes pedophilia to a whole new level. Is it a crime if her body is of age, even if her brain isn't? Next it'll be men's brains in women's bodies...and both Brock and James are forced to question themselves....

Apparently "Wobbafett" in Japan is a pun on "that's right"...

I thought it was a Star Wars joke--a play on Boba Fett (though it's been awhile since I've seen the movie and I forget which one he was; personally, I'm a Vader man). I noted at Pokemopolis they spell it "Wobuffet", which looks like it should be pronounced "wah-boo-fay". Similar puns in the Italian language appear in Canto 32 of Dante's Inferno (lines 106 and 117), but they lose something in translation.

[RockItShipper]

Originally posted by DR. BELCH
Only 13 and in her first love triangle! You have to wonder whether to pity or envy Misty! I'm inclined to agree, though. Things might have been vastly different if Ash were a little less dense or Misty were a little more forward...like I said, she missed her chance when she hauled him out of the water.

I'm skeptical that "Misty" would be so evasive if that's what she really wanted. I mean, I can understand why "Gary" didn't seize that opportunity in the "Viridian Gym"- if that's what he wants...

This takes pedophilia to a whole new level. Is it a crime if her body is of age, even if her brain isn't?

It's not the girl's body, but a crystal representation of it which is why she is able to morph-age and de-age. So it's even murkier, I'd think. Pokemon 3 was very weird.

Next it'll be men's brains in women's bodies...and both Brock and James are forced to question themselves....

That's about the only way I can seeing Rocketshipping... with "James" wearing the blow-up bra and "Jessie" wearing the.... well, you figure it out.

I thought it was a Star Wars joke--a play on Boba Fett (though it's been awhile since I've seen the movie and I forget which one he was; personally, I'm a Vader man).

Wobbafett has a different name in Japan- Sonansu. And it was my impression that since its outburst was subtitled, that it's a play on words in Japan.

Anyway, Boba Fett's the bounty hunter who took Han Solo away in ESB. I've heard that 'Fett' is Norwegian slang for cool... In any case, he's cool in my book.

[DR. BELCH]

ROCKITSHIPPER:
I'm skeptical that "Misty" would be so evasive if that's what she really wanted.

In a perfect world, no...but they can't all be as voluptuously forward with their feelings as, say, Jessy, or Melanie/10 on Batman Beyond. Like your average woman, it's more in her body language than her words. I once had this dame throw her pen at my head in class, barely missing my right ear by two inches, because I made a casual comment that women are by nature jealous and emotional creatures. From that decidedly extreme reaction, if she hadn't been married, I'd have thought she was coming on to me....

...Rocketshipping... with "James" wearing the blow-up bra and "Jessie" wearing the.... well, you figure it out.

I can see it now: Jessy's all, "Okay, Jimmy-boy, I'll be Hilary Swank in "Boys Don't Cry", and you be Dil from "The Crying Game!"
James sulks a bit, but gradually his interest perks up.
Jessy tells Meowth to take pictures, and he refuses. "You have two choices," she growls, "take pictures or play the rabbit in 'Fatal Attraction!' "
"Gimme da camera," grumbles the Scratch-Cat, defeatedly.

[don Jaime]

If Meowth gets the flu, does he have Scratch Cat Fever?

[RockItShipper]

Originally posted by DR. BELCH

I can see it now: Jessy's all, "Okay, Jimmy-boy, I'll be Hilary Swank in "Boys Don't Cry", and you be Dil from "The Crying Game!"
James sulks a bit, but gradually his interest perks up.
Jessy tells Meowth to take pictures, and he refuses. "You have two choices," she growls, "take pictures or play the rabbit in 'Fatal Attraction!' "
"Gimme da camera," grumbles the Scratch-Cat, defeatedly.

Actually, I was picturing something a bit more queer. Let's bring in the lucky couple to show it to you.

The inexplicably canon Digimon couple of Sora and YaMATo.

On ladies' night, we find "Matt" stuffing himself into a black dress with a magneta R on it. Sora has opted for a male Rocket ensemble with certain, ah, plumbing adjustments.

When "Matt" gets to choose, Sora finds herself in shorts, a blue t-shirt and goggles. The resulting scene resembling one from Scary Movie.

Anyway, onto Catscratch fever... Feline references are used for Meowth but I think it's more of a frame of reference for the audience. Even the original's "gold coins to cats" catchphrase. Makes perfect sense since you know that particular pokemon resembles a cat. And there's few other ways of describing it. But animals don't seem to exist outside Pokemon species on the show. Which means "Ash-co" must get sushi from "Goldeens" or something.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Peace Keeper
[B]VANDREAD only had 3 male characters. The other 125 were female. A lot of people complained about the lack of character development, but a second season is currently airing in Japan so maybe they will elaborate on them. I've seen the 1st season (13 episodes), and I thought it was pretty shway. All the mecha is done in CGI.

___________________________________________________

Have you heard of Ryvius? It was sort of a teen show about some teens (of course) on a ship drifting through space. The adults died, or something like that, and the kids had to fend for themselves. Vaguely Lord of the Flies-like. Some kids stepped up to the responsiblity, but it was cool to see them crumble under emergencies and see some of the younger kids step up as the show got more exciting in the second half.

All in all, quite interesting. It also had a cast of like 200 characters, but they focused on maybe 20 or 30. It's kinda like one of those teen soaps where they bounce back and forth between characters, giving us glimpses of their relationships.

I'm also surprised that nobody has picked up Irresponsible Captain Tylor for airing on TV (it's out on DVD, though). Ever wonder what it'd be like if the Starship Enterprise's captain was an idiot? This show's for you. (Though it turns out that Tylor was more cunning than everyone suspected at the end of the show)

Would you trust this guy to lead you to victory?

[DR. BELCH]

ROCKITSHIPPER:
... Feline references are used for Meowth but I think it's more of a frame of reference for the audience. Even the original's "gold coins to cats" catchphrase...

That gets me into how "Meowth Rules!" confounded me (although I did like seeing a Rocket-focused ep for a change). Meowth is supposed to have an attack called"payday", in which he magically produces gold coins. Do the coins just come raining down from the sky or come dribbling out of some orifice on Meowth himself? And if "cat" Pokemon have this ability, and Giovanni owns a Persian, why bother with crime? Why not just have his pet whip up a million bucks so he can retire to Poke-Aruba? Of course, this is akin to asking if Kirk and company had transport chambers, why not just beam themselves everywhere and not even bother using the Enterprise.

...animals don't seem to exist outside Pokemon species on the show. Which means "Ash-co" must get sushi from "Goldeens" or something.

Presumably they're more meaty than Magikarp, which Misty claims are all bone and skin. Other than food, I don't see much use for the fish Pokemon--they're sorely limited, being restricted to water attacks and all. Which is why I like the "dog" Pokemon--different breeds for different terrains/abilities (Arcanine=working, Snubbull=toy, Houndour=hunting, etc.).

[RockItShipper]

The whole payday issue... At the very bottom of this page,
http://members.nbci.com/bandraptor/Rocketspeak.htm
there's some notes about cat references in the original anime and video games....

Anyway, "payday" is one of the moves a "Meowth" can learn in the video game. But you can only have up to 4 fighting techniques per pokemon. I can imagine the one we all know from the show has expended a great deal of energy in becoming bilingual.

"Payday" causes damage in both the video game and card game. In the former, you are able to pick up loose change at the end of a fight in which that move is used. In the card game, each time you use that attack a coin is flipped. Heads up means you can draw an extra card from the deck during your turn.

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

Originally posted by DR. BELCH
...it's been a while since I've been to the video stores. I do remember seeing DBZ and SM videos at the Indian Mall (in Jonesboro) a couple of years back but I don't know if they were dubbed or what.

Those Gundam shorts sound interesting. I'll have to check Yahoo TV for times and make a note of them. And I'm still pining for Big O. Our Dorothy Wainwright was quite fetching for an android....

Just finished 08th MS Team. I think it's a pretty strong series overall, with a solid beginning, middle, and end. In fact, I think one of the better starts I've seen in anime. Those who are able to get into the series may be surprised at what happens to the hero at the end of the series. It doesn't quite fit into the Gundam continuity (it's supposed to take place at around the same time as the 1979 TV series, but since this show was a 1990s series, they souped up the mecha and technology for the newer audiences, which kind of goes against the crude designs of the 1979 series)

I think people who like movies like Platoon or films dealing with the Vietnam War may enjoy it.