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03-28-2021, 08:23 PM | #301 |
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Congrats. Now, watch this if you get the chance.
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03-28-2021, 08:30 PM | #302 |
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Borgman really does seem like my kinda jam. It's definitely on the list of shows to cover in the future, alongside all the other shows you guys have recommended!
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03-30-2021, 05:37 PM | #303 |
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Not Toku related, but if you guys wanna see a great anime that Kobayashi was a part of, Dororo 2019 is now up for pre-order. It's an adaptation of the manga of the same name by the creator of Astro Boy, and I gotta say, Kobayashi did an absolutely fantastic job with the source material. I'll vouch for any version of the story, but it was easy to tell that Kobayashi knew where the heart of the story lied, and did her best to bring it forward.
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04-08-2021, 06:19 PM | #304 |
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It's no secret to anyone that knows me that I am a huge fan of almost everything having to do with the Voltron franchise. From Lions, to Vehicles, to the comics, to the videogames, to the various different sequels; as long as your subtitle isn't Legendary Defender, Voltron is a name that I've held dear to my heart ever since seeing the first few episodes on Toonami back when I was young. And it's such a shame that Legendary Defender has all but completely overshadowed the franchise's' vast history. Heck, as time goes on, it seems like less and less people are aware of just how hugely influential Voltron actually is to US media in general. If not for the popularity of Voltron, we would've never seen the huge influx in anime that the US got around that time. If not for Voltron, we likely never would've even gotten Power Rangers, and by extension, various different Toku. Many forget that Voltron was way more popular than Transformers at one point. In other words, we kinda all have Voltron to thank for all of us being here, on these boards. And on the surface, the classic 1984 Voltron might seem like "a complete mess" (to quote the oh-so-clever writers of Legendary Defender), what with the cheesy dubbing, the obvious animation mistakes, and the mishandling of marketing done by Dreamworks. Heck, when I rewatched the show again for the first time when I was 16, I certainly felt that way at first. But, the farther into the show I got, and the more it dawned on me how alot of what this show did had never actually been seen in US media in general up to that point, the more I found a surprising amount of substance held within this show aimed at children of the 80s, and a great appreciation for everything it did. And that includes the obvious censorship of the original GoLion. I'm bringing all of this up now because just recently, Ted Koplar, the man who created Voltron, passed away. And I can think of no better way to honor this man's legacy than to take a look back at the iconic super robot, and to help celebrate just what made it so special. I don't plan to cover the show in its entirety(though I definitely wanna cover Voltron Force one day), but hopefully, with what I do cover here, you all can get atleast a small grasp as to why I think so highly of this franchise. With that, I'll be covering "Voltron the Movie" which is a compilation of the first few episodes of the original anime. And while this particular cut done by a fan certainly restores some of the violent content of the original GoLion, make no mistake that the original didn't exactly shy away from a handful of gruesome moments itself. We start off high with the titular robot, Voltron, squaring off against a mysterious goddess. She sends various demons after Voltron, but they prove no match for Voltron's' incredible might. As Voltron goes in to finish the goddess off, however, she casts a spell that splits the super robot into five pieces, thus starting our story... We then meet our heroes, the Space Explorers, who are on their way to Planet Arus. Their timing is unfortunate though, as they arrive just as the Pirate King Zarkon's' forces are laying waste to the entire planet. And it's here I feel I should talk about every character in this group, and how they are one of the various examples of this show's' overall main motif; That of a team being more than just the sum of the people in it, which made for some very fun character dynamics throughout the show too. First off is, of course, Keith, the leader. The guy who wears Red all of the time. An Asian leader in a time where that wasn't at all common, and most often the most level-headed one of the group. Keith's just a swell dude all around, but not without his faults. He sometimes does let his emotions get the better of him, and despite being the top dog, it's shown time and time again that he can't handle everything alone. He's the leader not just because of his skillset as a tactician, but because he does a great job providing balance for everyone else on the team, which is often times why he butts heads with... Lance, who is often times seen as second in command and the dude in Blue. Lance is the most emotional one in the group; Very hot-headed and tends to rush in head first. Easily flustered too despite his love of being a smart-aleck. Also very much a flirt, which, combined with his other flaws tend to get him into trouble. In the end though, still a very capable member of the team and is always there for his friends. Pidge is the short guy of the group, and the one in Green. Pidge is the brains of the operation. Always the first guy to handle anything related with tech. Don't let his nerdy stature fool you though, this guy is crazy. The people of his home planet Balto are known for being unhinged ninjas, and Pidge is no exception. Dude once ran at an enemy with a live, smoking grenade in his hands! That's hardcore! Pidge is often referred to as "little buddy" by his best friend... Hunk, the "fat" one. He's the big guy in Orange. The most jovial one of the group, and certainly has a fondness for food. There's alot more to him than that though, as his big stature isn't just due to calorie intake, but emphasizes his strength, too. Ontop of that, Hunk has a fondness for machines like Pidge does, which tends to be what they bond over. He's the handyman of the group, and will often go out of his way to help with repairs to anything he can. Machines, homes, soccer fields, you name it. Last but most certainly not least is Sven, the man in Black. Yeah, he might have a goofy Scandinavian accent, but make no mistake, this guy is just plain awesome! Hands down the most skilled fighter of the group, and has some incredibly insane feats over the course of the show to prove it. What else would you expect from someone so obviously inspired by Bruce Lee? Sven is my favorite character in the franchise for many reasons that I sadly can't get into here. Back to the plot at hand, the Space Explorers end up captured and taken as prisoners to Planet Doom, the home of the Drule Empire. There, King Zarkon's' cruelty is put on full display, as he forces prisoners to become slaves, and to get slaughtered by the dozen in his arena by his Robeasts. Not really fans of that idea, the Space Explorers put their heads together in finding a way out of this literal hellhole. Pidge uses his agility to leap to a nearby barred window, then lowering a rope down so Hunk can climb up and use his brute strength to bend the bars. What follows is actually a pretty intense escape sequence involving riding on giant vultures, dodging flying daggers, and hijacking a prisoner escort ship to escape the planet. By the way, I love how it's shown that the Drule Empire is super war-loving and battle hungry via the fact that even a ship that's meant to be a simple escort pod is still armed to the teeth with lazers that can do damage to battleship class spacecraft. It's the little things. Unfortunately for our heroes, despite Zarkon's' command to capture the team, Commander Yorak instead opts to just try and kill the crew instead, blasting them so hard that the atmosphere of Planet Arus would surely finish the job. However, the crew is suddenly saved by a mysterious power coming from said planet. This power belonging to Princess Allura, and her advisor, Coran. Allura is a character that I feel alot of people misconstrue nowadays. They take one look at her Pink outfit, as well as any given clip of her getting shot down during her time as a pilot, and figure that she's just a generic damsel in distress princess character. However, that couldn't be any further from the truth. See, back then, Allura was actually seen as a bit of a feminist icon, and it's not at all hard to see why. There are many times throughout the show where she takes charge, puts her foot down, and defends herself alongside the rest of the heroes. Ontop of that, her willingness to be on the frontlines is treated realistically, as she had no prior training in being a pilot like how the Space Explorers did. She even uses her failures as motivation to get better, and is willing to do anything to prove herself and to be a strong leader for the people of Arus. In other words, she has what is called a character arc, something that alot of modern viewers tend to just write off, because god forbid a character show any signs of shortcomings that they need to improve on. Allura is a really well done character. Speaking of things really well done, what follows is a sequence that has surprisingly good atmosphere, with the escape ship still crash landing despite the help from the Castle of Lions, and the Space Explorers seeing first hand just how devastated the entire Planet of Arus is after Zarkon's' invasion. Even when the crew finally reaches the Castle, it's clear that they can't be certain if everything is as it seems. It does a great job at building an air of mystery and dread and I dig it. Coran then appears the explain what that opening sequence was all about. Back when Zarkon first attacked, the Royal Court summoned Voltron to defend Arus. Unfortunately, Zarkon's' Grand Witch, Haggar, used all of her magic prowess to put a curse on the super robot, splitting him into five pieces and sealing them away in various places on the planet. Unfortunately, King Alfor, the only one who knew how to bring Voltron back to full strength, was then soon killed by Yorak, thus sealing Arus' fate. "The secret lies with Alfor" is rather literal too, as the Five Keys used to Form Voltron are literally buried with him. Unfortunately, the fifth key has gone missing, meaning the team has no choice but to deploy without the ability to combine. This leads into an iconic sequence. Ah the docking sequence. Everyone who knows Voltron knows about this. It's right up there with the actual combining of the super robot in terms of how iconic its imagery is, and is always great fun to watch. Know what else is super fun to watch? The war sequence immediately after. It features lazers flying everywhere, mountains being toppled, and Yorak saying one of my favorite lines in anything ever. Oh, and did I mention that the Robeasts ride around in giant space coffins? Because they do, and that's metal as hell. And yeah, Voltron is certainly needed for things like this, because despite a valiant effort, the four Lion Robots are no match for the Robeast, with the team only surviving via hiding beneath the sands. As it turns out, the fifth key was hidden by the Space Mice, who took it due to liking how it looked. Allura talks them into handing the key over(turns out she can talk to animals), and as such, all five Lions are now fully operational, and the Voltron Force immediately goes in for a counterattack on Zarkon's' forces. One really cool thing to note about the fight against the Robeast is that it's one of the few times that a MOTW actually attacks the team when they're trying to combine, making the sequence all the more intense. And when we get to that sequence? Oh man, everyone say it with me. "Dynotherms connected! Infracells up! Megathrusters are go! LET'S GO VOLTRON FORCE! Form feet, and legs! Form arms, and body! AND I'LL FORM THE HEAD!" Although I will say, this was also kind of a point of confusion for alot of kids, myself included. For those not in the know, Keith, the guy in Red, piloted the Black Lion. Lance, the guy in Blue, piloted the Red Lion. Pidge, the guy in Green, piloted the Green Lion. Sven, the guy in Black, piloted the Blue Lion. And Hunk, the guy in Orange, piloted the Yellow Lion. Allura would only further complicate things later when she started piloting Blue Lion despite her still wearing Pink. Just... man is that so confusing. Color association is a thing, guys! Anyway, Voltron's' first battle against a Robeast is awesome, showing just how mighty a robot Voltron really is. Tossing the Robeast around like a ragdoll and brushing off some close range missile fire like nothing. And then of course, there's always the classic... FORM BLAZING SWORD! In the end, Voltron is victorious, but it's clear that this is only the start of a much bigger war with the Drule Empire. Overall, Voltron is a show that I always have alot of fun with, and I will always appreciate its legacy. From the creation of its own franchise to its influence leading to things like the further importing of anime to the west, as well as the creation of things such as Power Rangers, Voltron is something I don't think I'll ever stop loving, and I hope atleast some of you feel the same.
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Last edited by DreamSword; 05-23-2022 at 09:32 PM.. |
04-08-2021, 11:16 PM | #305 |
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Fun fact, the Japanese cast of the first five pilots in Golion consisted of Genis from Zyuohger as Keith, Aigaron from Kyoryuger as Lance, Kid Taro from that Ultraman Taro movie aka Goku aka Guilmon as Pidge, Gorisaki from Go-Busters as Hunk, and Agent Abrella from Dekaranger aka Frieza as Sven.
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04-09-2021, 06:36 AM | #306 |
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04-11-2021, 11:14 PM | #307 |
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Location: World of Ataru
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The☆Ultraman
Hey everybody It's me GrandComplete first time on this Anime Thread. So over the past, I've been rekindling my love of Ultraman and saw this thread and well already watching this so I waited until the halfway mark to get to this. The☆Ultraman is an original Ultraman anime not based on any past show. Set in its continuity at a time unrelated to the other Showa Era shows. Animated by SUnrise of Gundam fame years before. To start the show like other Ultra Series and other Tokusatsu media at the time followed a monster of the week format. With a core cast of characters the Science Guard Party being the team for this show. We have the straight-laced protagonist Choichiro Hikari who on his arrival back on Earth merged with Ultraman Jonias to protect the Earth from various threats. Showing great bravery and a sense of justice were quickly given a good reason for why Jonias chose Hikari. Often time showing great wit as well seen in such episodes episode 8. However, he is not without flaws as one episode has him fearful of not being able to contribute as himself and only as a vessel for Jonias. A wonderful introspection on the dynamic of Ultra and man. The other SGP sadly doesn't get as much as Hikari. They all do have personalities and focus episodes but none of them are quite as hard-hitting as the ones focusing on Hikari and U40 lore. But their presence in the show still does matter. First up there's Mutsumi Hoshikawa who's the only female member on the team. She's seen as competent and never in my eyes became a damsel in distress she's alright. Next up is Tetsuo Akiyama the leader and the one who brings everybody together. Stern but fair he's like a father to his men and it's his actions that brought the team together and Hikari back to Earth. Following up is Kei Marume who is the only one that wasn't recommended but joined up anyways. At times is an audience surrogate mainly plays a comedic role with a slight waist size. A little annoying but overall fine. And finally Hiroaki Tobe the technician who often creates new weapons and figure out solutions. And unlike the stereotypical nerd, he seems like a blend of the tech guy with the cool guy vibes. I do wish he got more episodes focused on him though. Well with the human characters done let's get to the Ultra himself Jonias. Hailing from a different plant than Nebula M7* and unlike Leo's L77 we do get to see it. At this time his human form is unseen but Jonias is U40's strongest warrior and often mentors Hikari and advised outside of battles. In ways that haven't been one before. With a more muscular design as well as a slightly different color timer that goes from Green, to Yellow then beeps red. Jonias is overall well rounded.(A shame that Titas had the traditional Color Timer and not one like Jonias) Oh and Pig scares the crap out of me burn him with fire, please. The show music is overall pretty good. The theme song, in particular, is amazing the ending song is alright. (Also this show was the first Ultra Series to have an Ending theme) Now because this animated the homeland of Jonias was seen in a three-parter and giving both the audience and Hikari an extended look at the history of U40. Which in comparison to the Land Of Light in the live-action shows at the time was unprecedented. Following these episodes, Hikari would shout "Ultra Change!" before transforming which is a nice way to shake up the status quo. Monster designs range from inventive to a bit generic but overall good. The animation isn't the greatest and can be stiff but is a service and isn't too egregious. Cutting this off here I will give my full thought and my favorite episodes one day after seeing the latter half of the show until then. See you!
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04-12-2021, 05:13 AM | #308 |
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I was not even aware that an Ultraman anime existed outside of the Netflix one. Will have to check this out in the future.
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04-12-2021, 07:04 AM | #309 |
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Yeah, it led to a brief revival of interest that resulted in Ultraman 80, which promptly ended the interest by falling into the same retool-induced pitfalls as Kamen Rider Super-1. After that, all the franchise turned out were foreign produced spin-offs until Ultraman Tiga came and revived interest fully enough for the franchise to still be going strong today.
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04-12-2021, 07:40 AM | #310 |
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There was also the Hanna Barabara Ultraman movie that was supposed to be a pilot for a cartoon as well.
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