You are currently viewing archive for April 2006
'doh!
He finally did it, after 2+ years of reading and lurking in Megatokyo, I'm going to break down and buy the books. I have been on the fringe for a while, its 'bout time I did. Feel like I'm missing out and a full read of the whole thing would do me good.
The fact that he's pulling in a backstory from 2003 that has its roots further back has got me really intrigued. I don't know how much was planned and how much was random regurgitation, but the fact that he has the treads of the tapestry tied that far back is pretty impressive.
Good job. Looking forward to more.
He finally did it, after 2+ years of reading and lurking in Megatokyo, I'm going to break down and buy the books. I have been on the fringe for a while, its 'bout time I did. Feel like I'm missing out and a full read of the whole thing would do me good.
The fact that he's pulling in a backstory from 2003 that has its roots further back has got me really intrigued. I don't know how much was planned and how much was random regurgitation, but the fact that he has the treads of the tapestry tied that far back is pretty impressive.
Good job. Looking forward to more.
Finally, my wish is granted. AnimEigo just announced that they will be releasing a remastered collector's addition of Oh! My Goddess on 6/6/2006.
Wait, don't throw out or E-bay those old DVDs yet. AnimEigo has also announced an upgrade program dubbed "Divine Ascension." Details are forthcoming, but it looks like you will be able to trade in your old Oh! My Goddess discs for a $15 upgrade to the new set.
Works for me! I'll let you know when I have more details.
Wait, don't throw out or E-bay those old DVDs yet. AnimEigo has also announced an upgrade program dubbed "Divine Ascension." Details are forthcoming, but it looks like you will be able to trade in your old Oh! My Goddess discs for a $15 upgrade to the new set.
Works for me! I'll let you know when I have more details.
Initial D tells the story of a 17-year-old tofu delivery boy named Tak who suddenly finds himself caught up in the heart-stopping world of street racing.Tak drives an "Eight-Six," a street term for the Toyota Trueno AE86. When chance puts him up against street racing's most notorious driver and he actually wins the race, the lure is too much - he's hooked. Word quickly spreads about the famous "Eight-Six of Mount Akina", and more and more rival racers appear to challenge Tak and his friends in a series of white-knuckle contests.
Spoken Languages: English, Japanese, English Subtitles.
Buy Initial D in our online store!
Grades
Video: B+
Audio: A
Dub/script/VAs: B+
Theme song/opening credits: n/a (see below)
Story: A
Overall: A-
Chibi-review
(This review covers the first 26 Episodes of Initial D - known as First Stage)
I have a thing for guilty pleasures as of late. Initial D is an interesting release, and one I never expected to grab me ... I'm not much into street racers. (Or "ricers" for that matter.) At least I wasn't. After checking out one episode on Comcast "On-Demand" I decided to Netflix the rest. I've been really happy with what I found.
This thing has action, action, action and more action. It's all about the races. Well, almost. There is a good bit of characterization in it as well, even if some of the characters can be dumbasses from time to time.
Based on the manga of the same name, the Initial D revolves around Takumi "Tak" Fujiwara, a tofu-delivery boy who, though he does not realize it, has incredible natural skill as a streetracer. His old man was one of the best on Mount Akina years ago, and without knowing it, Tak is following in his footsteps. On the way home from a tofu delivery one night he passes one of the top street racers in the region. Keisuke "KT" Takahashi, defeated by a 10-year old car driven by an unknown racer, sets out for revenge in seeking the Ghost Eight-Six of Akina.
And a legend is born.
Initial D has some real edge-of-the seat action. It's really interesting watching Tak grow as a racer, especially since he seems so uninterested in the whole idea to start. The races are done in CG, while most of the rest of the release is traditional animation. The CG is quite good considering the age of the release (circa 1998). However, it will take some getting used to the character designs of the traditional animation. It's well drawn and fluid, but the characters are about as butt-ugly as they come ... EVEN the women! Get past it, the rewards are too great to be stopped here.
A word/warning on the sub/dub difference. Tokyopop made a very controversial decision when they made this release. There are two versions on the DVD. The "Classic" is the Japanese sub as broadcast (note: there is some debate about a toned-down translation), the "Tricked Out" version is the dub that has some video enhancements. On the "Tricked Out" version, Tokoypop changed some of the names of the characters to more "American" names, and redid the entire soundtrack in hip-hop and pop. Many people HATE it. I may get throttled for saying this, but really enjoyed watching it in English ... with the exception of some of the video enhancements and some of the music. I'm not a fan of Hip-hop, but I understand why they made that choice and, for the most part, it worked for me. The acting on the dub is solid, and I like being able to focus on the animation. YMMV, choose whichever you think you will enjoy more... but I bet you will like at least one of the two versions.
Recommended.
In the year 2048, the world's attention has been captured by the Immortal Grand Prix, where hi-tech fighting Mechs race at speeds faster than 350 mph.
Fresh from their victory from the minor-league IG-2, Team Satomi has catapulted up to the major leagues. But Team Satomi is going to have to tighten up their team work if they're going to win their first race against Team Sledge Mamma, a team that doesn't play by the rules.
Grades
Video: A
Audio: B
Dub/script/VAs: A
Theme song/opening credits: C
Story: B-
Overall: B
Chibi-review
IGPX is a fun little show developed by Cartoon Network in a joint venture with Production I.G. It was developed for simultaneous release in both North America and Japan... and this is the first time that has ever been done with an anime.
As far as the story goes, there is nothing Earth-shattering here, it's a racing anime with Mecha ... but there is something about it that really grabs me. I'd chalk this one up to a guilty pleasure. The action is good, it's the style is great (both mecha/CG and traditional character designs), and the story is pretty good.
What really shines on this release is the Dub. This is a case where the studio got A-list talent to do a voiceover. Screen actors Haley Joel Osment,Michelle Rodriguez, and Mark Hamill join top Anime actors such as Steven Jay Blum, Wendee Lee and Crispin Freeman.
It's a short series, 13 episodes, half the traditional Anime size... but it works in its favor based on US airdates. One of the challenges with this release is coming up with a concept with universal audience appeal... they seem to do pretty well.
I DVR'd the whole first season on CN, but the First DVD is available, and the second is due out soon. It is out in both Toonami Dub-only and Special Editon Dub/Sub flavors. I'm looking forward to seeing the sub sometime soon.
Check it out before season 2 airs.
Fresh from their victory from the minor-league IG-2, Team Satomi has catapulted up to the major leagues. But Team Satomi is going to have to tighten up their team work if they're going to win their first race against Team Sledge Mamma, a team that doesn't play by the rules.
Grades
Video: A
Audio: B
Dub/script/VAs: A
Theme song/opening credits: C
Story: B-
Overall: B
Chibi-review
IGPX is a fun little show developed by Cartoon Network in a joint venture with Production I.G. It was developed for simultaneous release in both North America and Japan... and this is the first time that has ever been done with an anime.
As far as the story goes, there is nothing Earth-shattering here, it's a racing anime with Mecha ... but there is something about it that really grabs me. I'd chalk this one up to a guilty pleasure. The action is good, it's the style is great (both mecha/CG and traditional character designs), and the story is pretty good.
What really shines on this release is the Dub. This is a case where the studio got A-list talent to do a voiceover. Screen actors Haley Joel Osment,Michelle Rodriguez, and Mark Hamill join top Anime actors such as Steven Jay Blum, Wendee Lee and Crispin Freeman.
It's a short series, 13 episodes, half the traditional Anime size... but it works in its favor based on US airdates. One of the challenges with this release is coming up with a concept with universal audience appeal... they seem to do pretty well.
I DVR'd the whole first season on CN, but the First DVD is available, and the second is due out soon. It is out in both Toonami Dub-only and Special Editon Dub/Sub flavors. I'm looking forward to seeing the sub sometime soon.
Check it out before season 2 airs.
Sidebar
