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One last video for 2024! It's been one heckuva ride, folks (especially the particularly bumpy patch towards the end). As usual, I'm here to look at all the English dubs of the anime I've covered in the second part of the year. The strongest by far was Black Lagoon's. I love that dub. In fact, I think it's the final Grand Pantheon dub I hadn't reviewed yet. What will I do from now on? Well, (un)fortunately, OE isn't just about really good things.

Look, I'm going to level with you. I've been terribly sick and depressed for the past month. Especially sick the past week or so. It's been harder to get into the holiday joy mood this year than usual. I'm not a hopeless case, I don't think, it's just been a pain to get motivated to do anything. Fortunately, I did a lot of this video ahead of time.

Sorry, no commentary this time, either. I've been pretty depressed lately, and have to give all my energy to my next video. Please enjoy my video and contribute to my Patreon.

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- Penguin Truth
(2024)

Sorry this one doesn't have a commentary or anything. I'll insert one here later. I've been stressed out because my YT account has strikes against it. All future videos will be up on Dailymotion until further notice.

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- Penguin Truth
(2024)

All is not right in Penguinopolis.

Akira is one of those obvious "must-review" anime classics that it feels like I should have gotten to a long, long time ago. But I didn't just want to review everything everyone else was reviewing all the time, which is why I held off on it. But holding off for ten years is probably enough. I even read a huge swath of the manga (though not *all* of it) to prepare myself. I wanted to do my homework, as to avoid somebody making a "Penguin Truth Was Wrong About Akira" video. (Yeah, right, like anyone would even notice this video.)

Yikes... I'm running out of favorite anime to review! But I can't worry about that, because Black Lagoon was calling to me, saying in a loud voice, "Review me!" And I cannot ignore the call of a classic, one of my favorite anime of all time. Still, of my, let's say, top 30, I've got maybe five or six left to do? I might have to begin intentionally reviewing bad anime just to distance myself from the rest, as painful as that'd be. Not to mention, this anime also has one of my favorite English dubs, and I'm pretty sure I'm all out of those to cover after this. But more on the dub another time.

So, as usual, I'm covering the English versions of the anime I've reviewed so far this year. I'd say the strongest dubs I went over were the two Funimation ones. In the next half of the year, I'll try not to even do Funimation dubbed anime, unless a spot opens up that I end up filling with one. I want to get in titles dubbed by other ADR outfits for variety.

Area 88 is a fine show. It's nothing special, no match for the original OVA, but it does have its good aspects and notable moments. There's a lot of detail put into the aircraft and procedure and the dogfights are interesting, if brief. Much of the drama comes from what happens on the ground. But the show doesn't look great and some of the characterization is anemic. It just doesn't have the overwhelming personality and charm of the OVA. But it's not a waste of time.

Akira Toriyama, creator of manga like Dr. Slump, Dragon Ball, and Sand Land, sadly passed away on March 1, 2024. He left behind a legacy of colorful work, worlds of wonder that continues to impact people the world over. Since I review anime, and not manga, I wanted to pay tribute to Toriyama in a way that reflected his own personal efforts, so I chose a Dragon Ball Z movie that he actually had influence over, Battle of Gods, whose story he constructed. Of course, I also mentioned his work in video games.