Animation Unlimited http://www.animationunlimited.com/ Animation Unlimited en-us Nucleus CMS v3.2 © Weblog http://backend.userland.com/rss http://www.animationunlimited.com//nucleus/nucleus2.gif Animation Unlimited http://www.animationunlimited.com/ <![CDATA[Warner Brothers/Maguire Entertainment to do Robotech movie]]> http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=199
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Toby Maguire has just penned a deal with Warner Brothers to do a Live action Robotech movie.

Wow, guess with Transformers making the big bucks they decided to go for it. I think Toby Maguire is too old for Rick Hunter though.]]> Anime http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=199 Fri, 07 Sep 2007 12:00:13 -0400 <![CDATA[Wow, has it really been six months?!?!!?]]> http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=198
Things have been stagnant on this site for so long. Ironically, it is getting more hits than ever. Time to capitalize on some new readership.]]> General http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=198 Wed, 11 Apr 2007 15:39:53 -0400 <![CDATA[Still not dead yet]]> http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=197
Anyway, although the site has been dead, I have really been watching a ton of Animation in the last few weeks. I wish I had time to comment on it all at length:

Ah! My Goddess TV: A little slow, but great for fans of the series. The last 2 DVDs pick up the pace a ton and it becomes really fun.

Mabaraho: Strange Harem series, liked some of the characters. Really liked the female character models. Nice. Magic and fanservice, oh my.

Naruto: Through anime fansubs up through the end of the Manga before the 3 year timeshift. Now waiting like everyone else for the series to get back to the Cannon in Japan. No more filler! Also, caught up with the English version on Cartoon network. Took a while but I have taken a liking to the dub.

Bleach: Great new anime Cartoon Network. Good action, lots of blood, interesting characters.

Macross: Love the new ADV Dub. Through Disc 5.

Full Metal Panic: FUMOFFU: Just rewatched, lots of fun.

NInja Nonsense: Super Pervy Ninja Insanity. Some real laugh-out-loud moments. Through disc 2.

Ranma 1/2: Old-school pervy ninja insanity. Can only take it in small chunks, gets repetitious, but is good mindless fun. On season 3 now.

Macross Zero: Beautiful animation, a tad bloody... more mystic than I'd like. Horrible Horrible HK sub. Not sure how well it fits in to the overall storyline, a few things that seem out of sequence.

South Park: Loved the World of Warcraft episode.

Initial D: Finished off through Season 4: Project D. Never thought I'd like street racing.

A few other random things in there.

The site needs some real work. I shut down the forums due to Spam, and my email is getting a ton as well. For now this may just be a placeholder till my 5-month old starts sleeping better. For that matter, I could put Pingu, Blues Clues, and Seseme Street on the list of stuff I am watching. Good toddler shows.

Boy how times change.]]> General http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=197 Fri, 20 Oct 2006 14:10:24 -0400 <![CDATA[Opinion: The Good Night Show]]> http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=196
If you have kids, you may know of a show on the PBS Kids Sprout cable network called the Good Night Show. It starred a girl, Melanie who "airs soothing stories and cartoons designed to get an audience of 2-to-5-year-olds ready for bed. Each night, Martinez guides a puppet character into dreamland." ( Kids' show host fired over 'Virgin' video - AP Story/CNN) It was schmatlzy, my wife wanted to get the girl a change of clothes because the outfit was god-awful, but my son liked it.

Well, Miss Melanie had a bit of a comedic past. She starred in a couple of 30-second bits called "Technical Virgin" which lampooned PSAs for staying a virgin though,lets say other means. This was 7-years ago, and when PBS found out, they canned her. You can find them on Google Video.

Like my 2-year old is ever going to see that? He has not asked where she went yet, but she is clearly confused by the show being gone.

I like the column that By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist wrote, and he mentions some of the things I did in my Letter to PBS.

Speaking of which, here is the body of my letter to PBS....

I'm writing to express my displeasure with the dismissal of Melanie Martinez from the "PBS Kids Sprout Good Night Show." I feel the act was rash and short-sighted on the part of Sandy Wax.

My 2-year-old son is a fan of the show and watches part of it each night. He is going to miss seeing her, and change can be tough for toddlers. I have watched one of the "Technical Virgin" videos on the Internet as to investigate the incident regarding her dismissal. Although Melanie Martinez's part in them is certainly not appropriate for children, I see no reason why any Sprout viewer would ever know that she did them or what difference it makes. I would not allow my 2-year-old to watch George Carlin's comedy, but Mr. Carlin does a wonderful job in doing the voice-over for "Thomas the Train."

This double-standard reeks of sexism, and I implore management to reconsider this action ... and don't you dare remove the Thomas episodes that Mr. Carlin does in order to "level the playing field." Ms. Martinez is a good show host that appeals to toddlers, and that is your audience after all.


Towhich I got this....

Thank you for sharing your concerns regarding PBS KIDS Sprout’s decision to no longer have Melanie Martinez appear as the host of The Good Night Show. Ms. Martinez has been an important part of Sprout and we are saddened that this difficult decision had to be made.

Our foremost priority is maintaining the trust of the parents and families we serve. With this in mind, the management of Sprout determined that the short films in which Ms. Martinez appeared were inappropriate for her role as a preschool program host. We apologize for any disappointment that our decision has caused you and your family.

Sprout remains committed to The Good Night Show as a valuable tool for parents to help children wind down after a busy day. Plans are in development to launch a new season of the program with a new host in late 2006. In the meantime, regularly scheduled programs within The Good Night Show (e.g. Dragon Tales™, Bob The Builder™, Thomas & Friends™) will continue to air in their designated time slots with new short-form content replacing Ms. Martinez’s segments.

Thank you again for your comments.

Sincerely,
Amelia
Viewer Services


Pretty much a "we don't really care what you think" answer.

Not sure what more to do about this really... other than get the word out that their overreaction. Feel free to Write PBS and let them know how you feel.]]> American TV http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=196 Fri, 28 Jul 2006 15:33:56 -0400 <![CDATA[News: Dragonlance Animated Movie]]> http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=195
Saw a tidbit I could not pass up. Looks like things are full speed ahead for the Dragonlance, Dragons of Autumn TwilightAnimated Film. It's in preproduciton and they have finalized the cast. Ripped from their site.

Casing for the movie has now been completed with Kiefer Sutherland assuming voicing duties for Raistlin Majere. Sutherland is of course best known as Jack Bauer from TV`s "24", however he also has a string of acclaimed movie roles to his credit. Sutherland joins a voice cast which includes Lucy Lawless ("Xena: Warrior Princess") as Goldmoon, Michael Rosenbaum ("Smallville") as Tanis Half-Elven, and Michelle Trachtenberg ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") as Tika Waylan, for the animated movie adaptation of "Dragons of Autumn Twilight".

Other significant roles in the film include:

Fred Tatasciore (Flint Fireforge)
Rino Romano (Caramon Majere)
Jason Marsden (Tasslehoff Burrfoot)
Mark Worden (Sturm Brightblade)


I may need to reread these when the time comes... given that like LoTR before it, it's been about 20 years since I have. Man how time flys. When I was a kid, I had all the calanders on my wall for years as artwork. Actually, "Tanis" was my first online name back in the days of BBSes. Yeah, I'm that kind of geek... makes me feel OLD.

Still, I wonder how its going to look. Goldmoon sure was a something in those. -grin-

]]> General http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=195 Mon, 17 Jul 2006 13:46:13 -0400 <![CDATA[It's a Girl!]]> http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=194
That said, I am watching a few things. I started on Ranma 1/2, Season 2 ... it's a good little show to do laundry to! Not heavy, can check the brain at the door and watch.

On the flip side, I have been reading the Kare Kano manga, and have made it through volume 6... as a comparison I have been watching the anime, His and Her Circumstances as I go along. You'll have my thoughts on this in coming weeks.

I'll be back to work next week, so my "lunchtime" project can resume then. I do have several updates to post regarding quite a few things, so look for them!]]> Off-topic http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=194 Tue, 06 Jun 2006 23:27:36 -0400 <![CDATA[Reading: Megatokyo]]> http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=193
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.]]> Web Animation http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=193 Fri, 28 Apr 2006 15:59:38 -0400 <![CDATA[Oh! (Ah!) My Goddess OVA Collectors Edition (Remaster)]]> http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=191 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.]]> Anime http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=191 Mon, 17 Apr 2006 15:52:55 -0400 <![CDATA[Chibi-review: Initial D (First Stage)]]> http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=190 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.]]> Anime http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=190 Fri, 14 Apr 2006 16:29:48 -0400 <![CDATA[Chibi-review: IGPX]]> http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=189
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.]]> Anime http://www.animationunlimited.com/index.php?itemid=189 Mon, 03 Apr 2006 16:56:45 -0400