It’s the oldest anime I’ve reviewed here on Otaku Evolution, and the oldest in my collection, 1971’s Lupin III Part I, the original Lupin TV series! I’m super happy to get to talk about this groundbreaking show, it’s mood change, and how fun the whole thing can be (and how lame it can be, too). I’m also thrilled that it’s finally been dubbed into English with a voice cast I adore. But whether or not you watch it dubbed or in its original Japanese, you’re going to have a good time with these hilarious heists… usually. So this Thanksgiving season, stuff yourself with a cornucopia of fun, as I take a look at an anime classic.
Videos
Otaku Evolution Episode 227 – Eden of the East Movies
There are two Eden of the East movies (King of Eden and Paradise Lost) which serve as a finale for the TV series, but honestly, they should have expanded them into a second season of the show, because there was plenty of potential for one, but some kind of lethargy struck Kamiyama during the course of the plotting and he just fell asleep right before the end. The first one at least has a bit of action and suspense with the schemes of the amateur director Seleção. The second movie is just a lot of conversations, and most of them are just talking in circles about superficial political topics. I do like hanging out with the Eden of the East club, though.
Lupin Zero PV
I have my reservations (Lupin is an adult series, they’re not going to try to appeal to young kids, are they?), and I wish it was a new Takeshi Koike project (still waiting for that fourth movie), but I guess I’ll check it out. I bet it’ll be better than Part 6.
Otaku Evolution Episode 226 – RahXephon
RahXephon was ostensibly influenced by the 1975 anime Brave Raideen. But if you’ve seen Neon Genesis Evangelion, and then this show, you cannot (and I did not) avoid comparing the two. It frankly baffles me that some people see this as a better show than Evangelion, though, because it’s not actually about anything. What are the actual themes of RahXephon? Aside from playing lip service to music/sound as a reoccurring element, there’s not a whole lot to the show. It’s decent, but not transcendent the way Evangelion is.
Otaku Evolution Episode 225 – Trigun: Badlands Rumble
Ah, the Trigun movie, Badlands Rumble. It’s fun. And that’s about all I can say about it. There’s really nothing significant in its premise or execution. It’s just a filler episode with high production values. Come to think of it, the Cowboy Bebop movie was like that, too, but it seemed much more significant and well-constructed. It had more of a beating heart to it. Plus, it was Cowboy Bebop, so it was already going to be better. Which is why that movie is in my favorites and Badlands Rumble is not. But it’s not a waste of time, at least. And after the subject of my previous video, I needed that.
Otaku Evolution Episode 223 – Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society
I padded the shit out of this review, because, honestly, there wasn’t a whole lot to say about a movie that, on further reflection, isn’t one of my favorite anime after all. I should really amend my list. Not that it was very high up, but surely there’s a more deserving anime feature. But I also wanted to put in the extra material to provide a little insight as to my current mental state. And no, I don’t believe “happiness is a choice”, that’s a silly aphorism. But I have Terry make some salient points, nonetheless. And I have Pen Pen do likewise, even if I don’t really believe in everything I put in his mouth… beak. I don’t really have a cogent life philosophy, and maybe that’s my problem, but I don’t really trust people with overarching philosophies.
Otaku Evolution Episode 222 – Mid Year English Dub Review VIII
I’m getting tired of having my videos handicapped by overzealous IP holders and foreign licensors. I just want to do anime review videos, not show entire episodes or movies. Can’t these greedy corporate cocksuckers give me a fucking break? I had to edit this video a bunch of times, if you can’t notice. It boils my blood.
My Mid Year English Dub Review is my opportunity to discuss in more detail the English dubs of the anime I’ve reviewed in the first half of my year in videos. Fortunately, I haven’t had to endure too many bad dubs over this period of time. I wasn’t overly fond of the dubs for G Gundam dub, AD Police Files, or Revolutionary Girl Utena, sure, but I had the dubs of Lupin III: Episode 0: First Contact, Big O, and Black Jack that more than compensated.
Otaku Evolution Episode 221 – Castle in the Sky
<meta itemprop="description" content="A boy named Pazu meets a girl named Sheeta when she floats down from the sky into his arms. Sheeta is being pursued by both greedy sky pirates and a dangerous military force for the secret to a hidden land in the clouds: Laputa. When it turns out that Pazu's father had once searched for it as well, the boy becomes determined to see the mythical sky island, even if it kills him trying to. It's a Hayao Miyazaki classic with adventure around every corner!
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This is, what, my sixth Miyazaki movie? I went years without covering one, now I’m averaging one per year. Am I getting lazy and leaning on an old standby for content? Possibly. I always feel like I’m cheating a little by picking a Miyazaki movie to review. But they are worth talking about. Miyazaki is a famous anime director for a reason, and is one of my favorites, so it really shouldn’t come as any great surprise.
As far as movies go, Castle in the Sky is pretty good, I enjoy the aesthetics a lot, but it’s not one of Miyazaki’s best. It’s not nearly as memorable or emotionally resonate as Nausicaa, and it’s not as well crafted narratively or character-wise as some of his later works, like Princess Mononoke or Spirited Away. It is a fun ride, though, and sometimes that’s all you really need in this weary world. So I’m happy to have covered it.
Otaku Evolution Episode 220 – Revolutionary Girl Utena
Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku! Zettai Unmei Mokushiroku!
This one took a while to get through. Not that it wasn’t a good series, but thirty-nine episodes of anything is a lot for my waning attention span these days. I actually rather enjoyed Revolutionary Girl Utena. I don’t think I would count it among my favorites, for a few reasons, but it is pretty engaging and has a variety of different, well-explored themes I wish I could have examined further in this video (and would have if I weren’t so worn down). I hope this review does some justice to the series. There are so many dimensions and ways I could have approached it, but I dispensed with the method I used for Neon Genesis Evangelion and addressed a few key aspects of it I felt affected me the most.