Open Web Awards

I should have maybe posted this sooner but I didn't make up my mind to do so until now.

Although I spend much of my time watching anime these days, I'll admit its not the only thing I watch. Theres a few online video series I enjoy as well that aren't animated nor talk about anime. In fact, 2 of the 3 I follow regularly are up for Best Video Web Series on Mashable's 2009 Open Web Awards: The Nostalgia Critic and The Angry Video Game Nerd (the other I view regularly is Atop the Fourth Wall with Linkara). I already linked a few of the videos on my blog that are made by the Critic aka ThatGuyWithTheGlasses/Doug, but I can't help it, I just love the guy's work. The directing is good, the writing is top notch, he's a really great actor, his videos are even really funny and have me in tears most the time. Just overal quality work thats very entertaining. Of course, I take the time to check out other video series made by other people. If I find it fun and entertaining, even if I don't laugh much or know much about the subject matter being discussed, I'll keep watching.

Instead of going on about how awsome the guy is (I'll probably save that for a future post). I want to get to what I really want to talk about here, which is the web awards voting going on right now. Its currently down to the top 5 picks, and one of these top 5 is getting about half of the votes for Best Video Web Series. This series is called Internet Killed Television. I tried watching an episode of this series, and I can't help but question why this series keeps getting so many votes. Its nothing more than a young couple going around with a video camera recording everything they do in life. On top of that, I found it quite boring and nothing special about it. Its nothing more but a reality TV show for the web. It saddens me that a series like this just might win over quality scripted series like The Nostalgia Critic and The Angry Video Game Nerd, as both Doug and James actually put alot of time and effort into what they do. There's hope though as the AVGN has a chance of winning this too. He has been getting the other half of the votes it seems. Hell, even the Critic and the guys who run the site is videos are featured on, are encouraging his fans to vote for the Nerd (when the Nerd is his rival), as they don't want IKT to win either. So yeah vote for the Nerd, even if you have never heard of him or don't like him, to show your appreciation for quality scripted videos. I would personally vote for the Critic as I've always liked his videos better (the humor AVGN's is too immature for me sometimes and has alot more swearing), but I would much rather see the Nerd win than Internet Killed Television.

For your enjoyment, heres a video from the AVGN series. In this video, the Nerd reviews various classic Nintendo accessories.



While you're voting, vote for Little Kuriboh's Youtube channel CardGamesFTW, he's up for funniest Youtube channel. Because we all know how much we all love his YuGiOh Abridged series (I do too admittedly, and I don't even care for YuGiOh, but LOVE the abridged series). For kicks i'll post his promotional video in this post too.

Gunnm/Battle Angel Alita live-action movie update (11/07/2009)

Word is now going around that Cameron has put together some test footage. Someone even claims to have seen it, and posted their comments about it on the internet. I quote:

”Imagine this for a second. A cyborg chick “the Angel of Death” taking out “a lot” of other part man, part machine type “people”…Now picture the “Angel of Death” looking like a child. a 14 year old. Now imagine this, this little girl goes through these guys like butter. Did you see the KICK-ASS trailer? Well imagine that girl via the Matrix via Ghost in the shell, via AI. “Remember the True Lies bathroom brawl?” Well take out Arnold, and “copy and paste” Bruce Lee on acid via the Terminator. as seen through the eyes of a sweet innocent 14 year old cyborg girl. And all of this done via the mind of James Cameron, Holy shit what is not to love? The lights flicker and shit hits the fan. Awesome stuff.”

Yep, totally sounds like something straight out of the manga series. ^^ Although, people are quite sceptical about this, and think that the footage doesn't even exist and that its all made up. So right now it remains nothing more than a rumor. The reason why people are in such disbelief is that Cameron has been quite busy working on Avatar, and hasn't had the time to work on any other films. Personally, I think while working on Avatar, he wanted to test out the equipment he had, to see if it was ready for what he had envisioned with his BL movie. Afteral, I remember reading somewhere that he plans to use the same technology he used while making Avatar for the BL movie (if he ever made it). So I really hope this rumor about the test footage is true, because this means we are one step closer to finally getting this movie! =D


Cameron is a fan alright,the proof is on his shirt...

......why Hollywood, why?

Like most other people my age or older/younger, at some point or another we all saw Tom and Jerry. Love or hate 'em, nobody can deny the fact they are the world's most lovable cat and mouse duo. I know this new is kinda old but I did not find out until recently. I found out the folks in Hollywood are making a live-action film of Tom and Jerry.

........

....W....T....F.
WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PEOPLE IN HOLLYWOOD ARE THINKING?!?! THE IDEA DOES NOT WORK! Seriously, Tom and Jerry is about nothing more than just an animated cat and mouse chasing each other all over the place. The idea to turn it into a film did not work before, and you're going to try it again?!? Plus, it does not help the fact that cartoons like Tom and Jerry just don't quite work in live action form. Alvin and the Chipmunks sucked, Garfield sucked, Underdog I never saw, but I know it sucked. 80% of all animation turned live-action sucks, so stop it Hollywood, please stop. If you're going to give us a live-action adaptation with a story thats actually good, thats fine. But if you're going to keep churing out garbage, raping beloved classics just for a quick buck, please, i'm begging you, stop it!

Should I also question why you are also making *another* live-action Scooby-Doo film for a direct-to-video realase when the first 2 wheren't all that grand either?

Funimation amazes me....

Wow, I'm totally caught off guard by this. I never expected the FMA OVAs to ever leave outside of Japan outside the internet, yet it happened. Funimation was actually able to get ahold of the OVAs for Fullmetal Alchemist and they put them on DVD. Whats even more impressive is that they supposedly got back the VA cast they used in the dub for this. However, what I don't get is why did Funi decide to sell them on a separate DVD? Wouldn't it been better if they released it as a special feature with the DVDs for the main series? I mean, theres only 4 OVAs in total (not counting the recap special) which only totals to 35 min running time. The longest of the OVAs being the State Alchemists VS The homunculi one, which was 10-11 min. All the other ones where 6 min or less. They should have released these as part of a box DVD set or something.

I think one of the following happened:

-By the time Funi was finally able to obtain the rights to release the OVAs, they finished putting the series and movie on DVD.

-Funi at first was not going to release them, but they changed their minds and decided to do it anyways.

-They where having issues with the Japanese folks who held the rights, and the only way they could release the OVAs is if they released it on a separate DVD too, just like the did in Japan.

I've already seen these, and I can tell you theres nothing special about them really. I don't plan on buying it either, theres other things i'd rather spend $15 on, even if it is FMA. I just thought it was interesting to note this. Seeing how short DVD specials like this almost never make it onto its own separate DVD outside of Japan.

Gunnm/Battle Angel Alita live-action movie update (6/4/2009)

Boy, talk abut huge disappointment and even more waiting....

I knew James Cameron has been working on a film version of Gunnm/Battle Angel Alita for a long while now, but it wasn’t until this past year I finally gave in and decided to check it out. Afteral, if its being turned into a movie, it must be good, right? I’m so glad I read it! Even though it was pretty gory at times, it was such a great series and I really liked its story. After I read it I was very hyped to see the movie. Unfortunately, it sounds like Cameron will be putting this on the back burner for a while longer. He said after his current action film, Avatar (has nothing to do with that Nicktoon of the same name) he wants to work on a smaller project. I think another reason why hes putting it on hold is because hes still waiting for technology to advance a little further, as that's what he said in past interviews. Its understandable though, with a series like this, alot of CGI will be needed to recreate the futuristic setting, and especially Gally/Alita herself. I just hope he doesn’t wait too long too get this done, because i’m worried that the project will have to be scrapped years from now and all that hype was for none.

It is also unfortunate we can’t get a new anime adaptation while we wait. I hear Cameron has bought up all the rights for Battle Angel, including rights to the short OVA Madhouse made years back (not the manga version though), which prevents a new anime adaptation from happening. I think the reason why he also did this is that he knows that if a new anime is made, it will generate new interest in the series as well as lots of fans and people will end up comparing it to his movie. So he most likely wants to keep the series as unknown as possible for this reason. Its depressing knowing how hes monopolizing the rights like that and its unfair for those of us who want to see something come out of this series, whether it be a movie or anime series, especially if hes just sitting on the license like that. In today’s age of anime, theres been tons of manga being turned anime and old anime given new life. If Cameron didn’t have all the rights, i’m sure some animation studio would have picked it up by now and made a new Battle Angel anime. Maybe Madhouse would have tuned it into an actual series like what they did with X.

I know this is technically old news, but I didn’t find it out until recently. I guess only time will tell what will come of all this. At least I have the sequel to the manga, “Last Order” to keep me occupied for now.

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood eps 1-4

SWEET HOLY MOTHER OF JESUS ITS FINALLY HERE! *angels sing*

It feels like I've been waiting ages for this....well, more realistically, I’ve been hoping for a remake of the anime the more and more I read the manga. I will admit, I did enjoy the first series, plus it was what got me into FMA afteral. However, when its compared to the manga, it’s pale in comparison. The characters are much more developed, the story makes better sense and is much better in quality, and has the perfect balance of comedy and drama. It is very well crafted and one of the best series I have ever read! So I had been longing for a remake, wanting to see this great series done justice properly. And it looks like I will be getting my wish (along with thousands of other fellow fans). I would have posted my thoughts on this sooner, but I wanted to wait for more eps to be released before I did that.

For starters, the opening theme is kick-ass, and the lyrics fit the series to a T, and its awesomeness is doubled just because YUI sings it. *YUI fan* The ED is pretty decent too, and I liked the style of animation that was used. As for the BGM, they decided to get a new composer for this series. I don’t mind this at all, in fact I kinda like the idea they decided to get someone new. I thought the soundtrack for the first series was quite fitting for FMA, which had a militaristic-feel and other times it sounded just like the kind of music you would find in an old black and white film. The main reason why i’m glad that they changed the composer, was that I felt that much of the soundtrack from the previous series would have been repeated in the remake if they had gotten the same composer, so it’s nice to hear something new. Plus I had high hopes for this guy, afteral, if Hiromu Arakawa herself liked the guy was was thrilled to have him work on the series, so that was a good sign. As for the new composer, I really like it so far from what i’ve heard, the tracks complement the scenes very well. I think i'm starting to like this soundtrack better than the first series, but I won't fully judge it just yet, not until the soundtrack CD is released. It still needs to undergo my “can-this-OST-stand-alone-from-the-animation?” test (being the OST lover that I am).

The animation....er well. I really liked the animation style from the first season, more-so than the artwork from the manga. So when I heard they would be designing the characters to look closer to the manga, I wasn’t all that thrilled. I think the idea to change the style was a smart move, that way at a glance you can see its different from the first series. As for the animation in the actual episodes, the widescreen, the effects, and everything where....*blink* WWWWOOOOOOOOW, its *definitely* a step up from the first TV series (I mean this in a good way). However, I still can’t get over the look of the characters at times, even after watching the first 4 episodes. The choice to use a yellow color for the outline of Edward's hair (along with many of the other characters) looks interesting, yet odd. Perhaps i'm still used to seeing his hair with a black outline like the first series? While I’m still on the topic of animation, here's an amusing thought. If you think about it, in the end, the FMA anime will have had 4 different animation styles (not counting OP/EDs). I mean, the first TV series, the movie, the OVAs, and now the 2nd series, had all used very different animation styles. Its odd how it turned out that way.

As for the voices, I’m so happy they got the same VAs for Ed and Al back. I can’t imagine anybody but Paku Romi playing Ed! (screw Vic, she ROCKS!!!) Unfortunately they couldn’t get the whole previous cast back, which I find a shame. Its strange hearing the voice of Urahara (from Bleach) coming out of Roy’s mouth. Then its really weird hearing new voices for many of the characters. Ah well, its still wonderful to hear Paku Romi and Rie Kugimiya provide Ed and Al's voices again. I’m still dying to hear the voices they will pick for the Xing characters and Armstrong’s older sister (these voices I am the most curious on at the moment), unfortunately we won’t be able to find out for long a while....

As for the story (which is the main reason for the remake in the first place) has been following the manga rather well so far. The first episode was invented for the anime, but all is forgiven, something needed to be done to show people that this is a new series. If they started out with Lior (just like in the manga/first FMA series) it would lead many to think "Hey! Its a repeat for the first series!". Even if it was an anime original, it was still a damn good episode (mostly due to the great special effects). Episodes 2-4 there based on the manga. I'm not too pleased with how quickly they went though the manga material presented in episodes 2 and 3 (Ed and Al's flashback and and Ed's confrontation with Cornello in Loir), and I kinda wished they did things differently. Even though I was somewhat disappointed by eps 2 and 3, mostly by the rushed pacing, they did an excellent job with episode 4. I was wondering how they would be handing the Tucker/Nina story, the first series did such a great job with it afteral. Thankfully I found the pacing was perfect in this episode, and they even managed to throw in just enough scenes with Nina and Alexander so that the viewers will feel sympathetic for them for when...*that*....happens. I was very pleased at how the whole episode was executed, and if I dare say, the best manga-to-anime episode yet. I have high hopes now for when they get later into the series and start to cover more material from the manga. Even though this is the best adapted episode so far, its still depressing as ever *sniff/cries* Much to my pleasure, they kept the scene where Scar kills Tucker!!! *throws confetti* God how I always hated Tucker, he's on my list of Top 10 anime characters I hate the most. It has always irked me how they kept him alive in the first series yet he died in the manga. I'm already loving the remake just for this alone.

Anyways, even though they are going though the manga material featured in the first series rather quickly, I bet ya the animators are just as itching to get to the new material not featured in the first series as much as I am. They couldn't just skip the manga material that was in the first series, its needed in the story later on (much of it anyways, some of it can be simply glossed over real quick like Loir and Youswell).

Ah yes, one last thing before I get to mention it: the eye catch, I hate it, its annoying as hell >_< ....why oh, why do we need someone to say "FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST" *head/desk* I hope Funimation will do us a favor and when they release the DVDs here in the states, they will edit out the guy saying that. Speaking of which...i’m glad they gave this remake of Fullmetal Alchemist an actual name. I didn’t like how the Japanese refer to this series as “Hagane no Renkinjutsushi: Fullmetal Alchemist” seems kinda repetitive, and then some folks where calling it “Fullmetal Alchemist 2”. I thought the latter title was a bad idea, it was giving people the wrong impression thinking its somekind of sequel to the first series when its not. Thankfully Funimation gave it a better name that won’t confuse people as much “Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood”. I think the “Brotherhood” part would fit the first series much better, but at least we have a way to differ the two series now. Knowing the international community, I bet they will follow Funimation and use the same title for this series as well in international releases.

On that note *holds up can of Sunkist soda* here's to hoping that this new FMA series will capture the greatness of the manga and that it will blow the first series out of the water.

If you're curious, I plan to compare this FMA series to he manga (first FMA series too) on my website. I started working on it already, I just need to get off my lazy butt and work on it some more....I'll post a link when i finally get it going.

Thoughts on: Black Lagoon

These past few weeks, instead of watching only one series at a time like I normally do, i've been juggling several different series and watching them all at once (not counting the series currently airing in Japan where I have to wait for eps weekly). In between these series, I was craving for an action series where I didn't have to wait every week for a new episode. I was thinking about trying to watch Soul Eater again, but I didn't like the idea of getting involved with a 51 ep long series just yet, I was hoping to stick to shorter series for now until school gets out. Then I was talking to this one guy and he mentioned Black Lagoon. It was then when it hit me, it was an action series, 24 episodes (broken into two seasons), plus I had been wanting to check it out for some time as well. So it was the perfect choice...

What made me want to pick this series up in the first place was that I heard it had gotten inspiration from Cowboy Bebop, and some folks even said it had somewhat of a CB-like flair to it. Upon hearing this, and loving Cowboy Bebop, I had to see it for myself. It turns out people where right, it may not be an exact carbon copy of the classic series, I was never expecting that, but it does have the same feel. Its like Cowboy Bebop in our present era reality without the kickass soundtrack, without the artistic look, and mostly focuses on the explosive action scenes, gunfights, and even decides to try and go its own way.

Other than the CB similarities, its still a great series. What I liked about it was how realistic the stories where (minus the badass main female lead going around and shooting everybody up), and many of the eps where short 2-3 ep mini arcs. Then, of course, the action scenes where awsome and very well done! One great example is the chase scene in ep 9 where the folks of the Black Lagoon company where trying to get away from the terminator maid. (Yes, a maid with unlimited weapons who's tough to beat, going around and shooting people, don't ya just love anime?) It was incredibly well-animated and it has got to be one of the best car cases i've ever seen in anime! (Perhaps i'm simply still just hyped after seeing this ep not too long ago?) I also find it amusing that here I was just commenting on how realistic this series was, then here I go talking about the terminator maid (don't worry she's not a robot, she's human, an ex-soldier to be exact,, but she sure is alot like the terminator). Ah well, this series still has a pretty realistic feel to it.

Another interesting factor is that the whole series has a very American feel to it. Like an action Hollywood film in animated form. Complete with numerous references to American associated events, people, places, etc. In one episode, one of the characters pulled out a pack of American named-brand cigarettes (it was "Natural American Spirit" don't remember if it actually read that in the series.....and no I don't smoke, but my parents do and they drag me along when they buy their cigarettes, so I know this brand is real because I saw it). It was quite nice watching a series like this, because I felt very at home watching it. Which is a nice change from all these series that usually take place in Japan and/or have characters with a very (or somewhat) Japanese-like lifestyle. The opening is also in "Engrish" as well. Its pretty damn cool and addictive, despite the fact that the singer barely knows any English yet she's trying to sing in English. The awsome techno beat and great images makes up for that.

On a scale of 1-10 (10 being highest) Black Lagoon wins me over with a 9 for its action awesomeness. Its not a masterpiece like Cowboy Bebop, but I definitely enjoyed watching it. Madhouse did an excellent job with this one, and they still have yet to disappoint me (okay, so the storylines in the Battle Angel Alita OVA and X movie sucked, but the animation was kick ass in both, plus they're both older anime so you can't expect too much).

As i'm typing this, I have only seen the first season and I have just now started watching the 2nd season. Perhaps I will type up my thoughts on it later after I view it.....