HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!
Yes. One more time, just in case:
Happy Chinese New Year!
NOW FOR NERDTIMES.
Cyborg 009: I like what I've seen so far--both manga and anime. While I detest the 'blackface' style used in the manga for 008, I acknowledge that the manga was made back in the sixties, and pretty much copying the look from earlier Disney/Tex Avery cartoons. However, despite the fairly offensive depiction, I love that 008 comes off as one of the most intelligent of the cast as opposed to being the ignorant butt of the joke that typically went along with the 'blackface' stereotype. Now that the 2001 anime has updated his look, I can fully enjoy the series without initially cringing. :D
Ngl, I LOVE this dub--which is why it sucks so hard that the box sets weren't released with the dub. Only the first eight episodes. WRYYY? I'll get the series eventually, because I like it--but I'm definitely going to be sad that I can't have the option of the dub track.
Now for the content itself, the action is pretty rampant from the get-go, starting with 009's escape. The one thing the manga does better is that it gives you a brief idea of where everyone came from and what they were doing before they got nabbed--anime doesn't give you that, but it does update their stories better so that their individual skills make more sense (i.e. 006 is a chef in the anime, but a farmer in the manga--yet he knows how to cook exceptionally well in both?). The manga will give you some fun cameos and nods to other things--like Jet specifically. His story is basically ripped from West Side Story, complete with random dancing and knife fights. XD Despite the obvious nod/rip, Jet is still given some dignity.
Overall though, I think the anime has done a really good job of cleaning up the story a bit. Definitely gives it a more serious feel, while still honoring the original. Despite some of the rushed developments (everything between 0010 and 0013) and almost formulaic 'monster of the week' episodic plots, it's all plausible enough for me to suspend any disbelief. Hopefully the rest of the series does not disappoint much.
Saint Tail: Ok, this series I own the manga of, and I found a torrent for all the episodes. Now, is it the absolute best written series I've ever seen? Helll no--but do I love it? Yes! Just a cute, funny thing to watch/read--and come on, who wouldn't enjoy a story about a female-Robin Hood character with the combined skills of a magician and a thief?
Just like Cyborg 009, I love this dub too--and only the first 15 episodes were bothered with. D: This is a crying shame, because Joshua Seth does a much better, much more believable obstinate little boy voice--that's not nearly as irritating as the seiyuu. Still, for what it's worth, the series is formulaic for the most part (someone shares their troubles with Sister-in-training Seira, Seira tells Meimi, Meimi does the Saint Tail thing, Sends Asuka a note and he fails to catch her, only to reveal she's always acting with good intent), but it's cute in it's creativity in how she manages to pull off each heist.
One thing I love most about the series? Her parents. Yes--Mom, the thief and Dad the magician--STILL *raburabu* after 14 years, and so cute. It's a comforting series to watch, not too dramatic, or bloody or fanserivice-y--just cute and funny. WANT THIS DUB. D:
Ok, first, lemme say--I'm not usually into American comics like Marvel and DC because they tend to go on forever and then reset canon. Usually, I'm an avid collector if I indulge in anything--comics would be deadly for me if I got way into them. The only reason I know of Terry Moore is through icor, who is quite the fan of his take on 'Runaways', and I decided to meet him on her behalf for some autographs while he was in town a few months back. I knew nothing of his work, but once I browsed through some of it, what stood out to me was the fact that he could draw beautiful women that WEREN'T size 0 sticks with double-D boobs. In fact, he made a whole cast of beautiful, strong, funny and intelligent women--yet as it turns out, my favorite character is David, the determined, altruistic artist. XD
I really, really love his characters, and he did a good job making sure everyone had definite characteristics so that you could recognize them through different time periods. If there's a chance a couple of characters look related, it's not a fluke--there's a chance that there is something to it, as opposed to the artist just lacking in character design range.
The interaction between the main three characters (Katchoo, Francine and David) is very well done, very dignified and not at all preachy. If there's one thing Moore is great at, it is depicting that no matter the background, no matter the current occupation--everyone is human. You would be fairly hard-pressed to find characters that you can't understand to some degree and relate to.
As for the cons? Francine's wishy-washy behavior and the 'will they, won't they?' storyline drags quite a bit in various parts of the series. It's obviously plot driven, but all the same, frustrating. The other problem is that Moore tends to jump into different points in time without warning, which can be pretty confusing for the reader at first. Some plot twists push things just a bit, but the strongest point of the series is it's cast--who they are, how they cope with themselves and each other. It's really quite amazing how much care and thought is given to just about everyone.
My personal feelings on the matter? David takes a lot of shit. A LOT of shit. But he always continues forward, ever hopeful, and always with good intent--when he finally manages to break down Katchoo's walls a bit, you can find yourself mentally throwing a parade for the poor boy. Thing is, you know something terrible is going to happen to him. I'm up to vol. 3 in the pocketbook series, and I can tell--yet I'm not giving up because I want to see the good things that happened, and I have faith that whatever happens to him, he comes out strong and positive no matter what. I think that's what makes him such a fantastic and important character, especially in contrast to the hard-luck Katchoo and the self-defeating Francine.
Katchoo I can identify with almost too easily, right down to the rampant violence spurred by her overprotective nature. Sending a jackass through a piece of furniture because he "gave you the first shot" to his folly? Been there. Damn near strangling someone to protect your friends? Yep. Lashing out because someone managed to break away part of your illusion of the world and the people in it? Hoo boy. I find myself remembering my younger years when I get frustrated with her obstinate mood so much that I have to remember--I wasn't able to read about my own life; I didn't have the readers perspective where I knew everything. XD
Francine I see in my mother and a few friends--genuinely good soul; lots of emotional hang-ups due to upbringing and religious oppression. It's really quite startling to see the difference between her and David in regards to religion--where he's been saved and freed by religion, it has helped to hamper and cage Francine. It's definitely a victory moment when Francine starts to listen to her heart rather than her mother, but also bittersweet that she arrives at the same conclusions despite being more aware of herself.
While I fear for David, I will read on--to see what happens with him and Katchoo, and hopefully there will be a satisfying end for everyone.
As for RL:
Weekend was ok--until yesterday. James got into a minor accident. No one was badly hurt and the damage is pretty minimal, but the fiberglass on his bumper pretty much shattered on the passenger side. We don't know what his insurance rate will increase to, but we remain hopeful. At least insurance will cover the repairs--now he's just gotta find time to get them done!
Friday and Saturday were cool though--got to hang with puni_puni_pinku for her birthday and karaoke times were lolarious. We discovered an excellent bakery just before heading over to see her, so we will be stopping by there quite often, I imagine.
My allergies are being a bitch and work is still slow--but so far, everything seems to be managing well enough. I definitely need to replenish my bank account though. D:
On the cosplay front, I've almost redone Ishida for James, and I need to add the leg bandages for Hinata, and we're good. Nothing new as of right now, since I need the money for bills. But later, perhaps. :3
Before I finished this journal entry, Pablo came by and we stocked up on medical supplies for Ikkicon--hooray for preparation!
That's it--have a good day, all!
Happy Chinese New Year!
NOW FOR NERDTIMES.
Cyborg 009: I like what I've seen so far--both manga and anime. While I detest the 'blackface' style used in the manga for 008, I acknowledge that the manga was made back in the sixties, and pretty much copying the look from earlier Disney/Tex Avery cartoons. However, despite the fairly offensive depiction, I love that 008 comes off as one of the most intelligent of the cast as opposed to being the ignorant butt of the joke that typically went along with the 'blackface' stereotype. Now that the 2001 anime has updated his look, I can fully enjoy the series without initially cringing. :D
Ngl, I LOVE this dub--which is why it sucks so hard that the box sets weren't released with the dub. Only the first eight episodes. WRYYY? I'll get the series eventually, because I like it--but I'm definitely going to be sad that I can't have the option of the dub track.
Now for the content itself, the action is pretty rampant from the get-go, starting with 009's escape. The one thing the manga does better is that it gives you a brief idea of where everyone came from and what they were doing before they got nabbed--anime doesn't give you that, but it does update their stories better so that their individual skills make more sense (i.e. 006 is a chef in the anime, but a farmer in the manga--yet he knows how to cook exceptionally well in both?). The manga will give you some fun cameos and nods to other things--like Jet specifically. His story is basically ripped from West Side Story, complete with random dancing and knife fights. XD Despite the obvious nod/rip, Jet is still given some dignity.
Overall though, I think the anime has done a really good job of cleaning up the story a bit. Definitely gives it a more serious feel, while still honoring the original. Despite some of the rushed developments (everything between 0010 and 0013) and almost formulaic 'monster of the week' episodic plots, it's all plausible enough for me to suspend any disbelief. Hopefully the rest of the series does not disappoint much.
Saint Tail: Ok, this series I own the manga of, and I found a torrent for all the episodes. Now, is it the absolute best written series I've ever seen? Helll no--but do I love it? Yes! Just a cute, funny thing to watch/read--and come on, who wouldn't enjoy a story about a female-Robin Hood character with the combined skills of a magician and a thief?
Just like Cyborg 009, I love this dub too--and only the first 15 episodes were bothered with. D: This is a crying shame, because Joshua Seth does a much better, much more believable obstinate little boy voice--that's not nearly as irritating as the seiyuu. Still, for what it's worth, the series is formulaic for the most part (someone shares their troubles with Sister-in-training Seira, Seira tells Meimi, Meimi does the Saint Tail thing, Sends Asuka a note and he fails to catch her, only to reveal she's always acting with good intent), but it's cute in it's creativity in how she manages to pull off each heist.
One thing I love most about the series? Her parents. Yes--Mom, the thief and Dad the magician--STILL *raburabu* after 14 years, and so cute. It's a comforting series to watch, not too dramatic, or bloody or fanserivice-y--just cute and funny. WANT THIS DUB. D:
Ok, first, lemme say--I'm not usually into American comics like Marvel and DC because they tend to go on forever and then reset canon. Usually, I'm an avid collector if I indulge in anything--comics would be deadly for me if I got way into them. The only reason I know of Terry Moore is through icor, who is quite the fan of his take on 'Runaways', and I decided to meet him on her behalf for some autographs while he was in town a few months back. I knew nothing of his work, but once I browsed through some of it, what stood out to me was the fact that he could draw beautiful women that WEREN'T size 0 sticks with double-D boobs. In fact, he made a whole cast of beautiful, strong, funny and intelligent women--yet as it turns out, my favorite character is David, the determined, altruistic artist. XD
I really, really love his characters, and he did a good job making sure everyone had definite characteristics so that you could recognize them through different time periods. If there's a chance a couple of characters look related, it's not a fluke--there's a chance that there is something to it, as opposed to the artist just lacking in character design range.
The interaction between the main three characters (Katchoo, Francine and David) is very well done, very dignified and not at all preachy. If there's one thing Moore is great at, it is depicting that no matter the background, no matter the current occupation--everyone is human. You would be fairly hard-pressed to find characters that you can't understand to some degree and relate to.
As for the cons? Francine's wishy-washy behavior and the 'will they, won't they?' storyline drags quite a bit in various parts of the series. It's obviously plot driven, but all the same, frustrating. The other problem is that Moore tends to jump into different points in time without warning, which can be pretty confusing for the reader at first. Some plot twists push things just a bit, but the strongest point of the series is it's cast--who they are, how they cope with themselves and each other. It's really quite amazing how much care and thought is given to just about everyone.
My personal feelings on the matter? David takes a lot of shit. A LOT of shit. But he always continues forward, ever hopeful, and always with good intent--when he finally manages to break down Katchoo's walls a bit, you can find yourself mentally throwing a parade for the poor boy. Thing is, you know something terrible is going to happen to him. I'm up to vol. 3 in the pocketbook series, and I can tell--yet I'm not giving up because I want to see the good things that happened, and I have faith that whatever happens to him, he comes out strong and positive no matter what. I think that's what makes him such a fantastic and important character, especially in contrast to the hard-luck Katchoo and the self-defeating Francine.
Katchoo I can identify with almost too easily, right down to the rampant violence spurred by her overprotective nature. Sending a jackass through a piece of furniture because he "gave you the first shot" to his folly? Been there. Damn near strangling someone to protect your friends? Yep. Lashing out because someone managed to break away part of your illusion of the world and the people in it? Hoo boy. I find myself remembering my younger years when I get frustrated with her obstinate mood so much that I have to remember--I wasn't able to read about my own life; I didn't have the readers perspective where I knew everything. XD
Francine I see in my mother and a few friends--genuinely good soul; lots of emotional hang-ups due to upbringing and religious oppression. It's really quite startling to see the difference between her and David in regards to religion--where he's been saved and freed by religion, it has helped to hamper and cage Francine. It's definitely a victory moment when Francine starts to listen to her heart rather than her mother, but also bittersweet that she arrives at the same conclusions despite being more aware of herself.
While I fear for David, I will read on--to see what happens with him and Katchoo, and hopefully there will be a satisfying end for everyone.
As for RL:
Weekend was ok--until yesterday. James got into a minor accident. No one was badly hurt and the damage is pretty minimal, but the fiberglass on his bumper pretty much shattered on the passenger side. We don't know what his insurance rate will increase to, but we remain hopeful. At least insurance will cover the repairs--now he's just gotta find time to get them done!
Friday and Saturday were cool though--got to hang with puni_puni_pinku for her birthday and karaoke times were lolarious. We discovered an excellent bakery just before heading over to see her, so we will be stopping by there quite often, I imagine.
My allergies are being a bitch and work is still slow--but so far, everything seems to be managing well enough. I definitely need to replenish my bank account though. D:
On the cosplay front, I've almost redone Ishida for James, and I need to add the leg bandages for Hinata, and we're good. Nothing new as of right now, since I need the money for bills. But later, perhaps. :3
Before I finished this journal entry, Pablo came by and we stocked up on medical supplies for Ikkicon--hooray for preparation!
That's it--have a good day, all!