First off, hard to believe the stupid losers at Saban and Fox would start here when it aired the butchered Escaflowne on Fox Kids. You’d think censorship and it treating you as stupid (what with all the forced flashbacks) is bad, but the worst part is what they did with the music. No they didn’t replace Yoko Kanno’s score; they kept it, but shifted it around so much that it no longer felt right in the very show it was made for. Even worse, they overused the most iconic BGM in the series, and made it legit tiresome to listen to. That’s like… a war crime, man.
anime
The Vision Of Escaflowne Episode 01 – Kiss Kiss Fail in Love
To celebrate 20 Years of Escaflowne, I’ll be following the original schedule of the Japanese run and doing weekly write-ups for its episodes. If you’ve been following my Cross Ange and Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans reviews you know what to expect. Also though, expect with each episode an extra section where I cover a memorable piece of music from the series by the legendary Yoko Kanno. Hope you enjoy.
Is it okay to wax panegyric on a show’s first episode, right from the get go? In Escaflowne’s case it’s definitely okay, because it is one of those shows that make an immediate, positive, first impression. To quote bishounen pretty boy Amano: it focused everything it has got, and launched itself forward. To its great fortune, it didn’t have something to get in its way of being a success, like say… a traveler from another world.
Otaku Evolution Episode 61 – Crusher Joe
What happens when you get the incomparable talent of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko to adapt the characters of the hit sci-fi books of Haruka Takachiho? You get the Crusher Joe movie, full of high-flying, danger warping, gun hand firing, disco brawling action from a crew of professional… uh… odd job takers? How does one describe the work of the Crushers? Varied.
Watch, like, share, subscribe! Also, turn off adblocker programs.
My Dailymotion page: http://www.dailymotion.com/elliott-morbell
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Episode 25 [SEASON FINALE] – Tekkadaaaaaaaaang, son!
Immediately as the preview for this episode took place in Episode 24, the only thing I can think of was: “Is this gonna end up like Gundam 00 Season 1?” After fighting for so long, is Tekkadan going to end their first season (or possibly series) at a tactical disadvantage? Are they gonna end with costly losses not just in their ranks and fail their mission to get Kudelia and Makanai to the Edmonton Parliament? How grimmy grimdark will the series conclude after killing off Biscuit and making it look like Tekkadan’s Edmonton attack would become a suicide run and/or a pyrrhic victory?
Otaku Evolution Episode 60 – Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal
Otaku Evolution Episode 60 – Rurouni Kenshin: Trust & Betrayal from mtpenguin on Vimeo.
In this episode of Otaku Evolution, I take a look at the scarred swordsman cutting his way through the Bakumatsu with a bloodied blade, Kenshin Himura, before he became a technical pacifist. Here’s to the heart of the sword!
My Dailymotion page: http://www.dailymotion.com/elliott-morbell
My Vimeo page: https://vimeo.com/user5558619
My Patreon (please support my videos!): https://www.patreon.com/penguintruth?ty=h
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Episode 24 – Zone of the Ein-ders
Like Carta in the last episode, we are not allowed any time to prepare for this final battle on the streets of Edmonton. As the episode opens it has already been three days since Tekkadan’s arrival, and their forces are being stretched to the brink. All they have left to them is an iron resolve to see it through, their mobile suits, and whatever last minute cunning’s available to rout a very strong defense game from Gjallarhorn.
It’s all English literature up in here. Take a dash of Tennyson with this final push like the Charge of the Light Brigade, and then pour in a bit of Kipling as well to spice it up. What part of this episode is full of Kipling? Well… All of Tekkadan are risking everything they’ve got in this game of pitch and toss, and if they fail and go back to their beginnings (or die); they won’t breathe a word about their loss. Imprudent as they seem to be given their youthful status, they’re being men about it in as best a way possible. You are both saddened and ennobled by their gumption at this final stretch. Our family has come a long way, even if the destination and objective may not end up in the most optimal of outcomes.
Lupin III (2015) Episode JP 23 (Italy 25) Review
“World Dissection, Part 1”
*****SPOILERS*****
Synopsis: Leonardo da Vinci is ready to unveil his greatest masterpiece: World Harmony. Putting the population of the Italian Peninsula to sleep with an audio signal, the Renaissance Man traps each person, including Lupin’s group, in a challenge at whatever they are best at, to gauge their worthiness to live in the new world he plans to build. Is Lupin up to the challenge? Is everyone else? A mind is a terrible thing to waste on this penultimate episode of the new Lupin series!
Otaku Evolution Episode 59 – Last Exile
My much delayed first episode of Season 3 of Otaku Evolution! Picking up where my 2015 year ender left off, and also reviewing a favorite of mine, Last Exile!
My Dailymotion page: http://www.dailymotion.com/elliott-morbell
My Vimeo page: https://vimeo.com/user5558619
My Patreon (please support my videos!): https://www.patreon.com/penguintruth?ty=h
Like, Subscribe, Link, Share, etc.
Take a look at Lucky Squid Studios, creators of Fruitimals: http://luckysquidstudios.com/
Oh, and here’s the convention schedule for LSS:
Otaku Evolution Season 3 – Coming This Week!
A new season of my chintzy, unwatched anime review video series, Otaku Evolution, is upon us, with new episodes starting this week! If you haven’t seen the show, please check it out in one or all the links below to my three(!) different hosts for the series. It’s essentially just me reviewing anime, but as a pixelated representation of myself living, roughly, in the world of my old OR: Side Story and Penguin Chronicles strips. Don’t worry if you don’t "get" the stuff with the pixels, it’s just for presentation purposes (though I do put a lot of effort in). Don’t forget to feed me hits, thumbs up, likes, shares, etc.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans Episode 23 – The one where Carta didn’t G-Chekketsu herself…
…Cuz she G-Wrekettsu’d herself with her actions today.
What I anticipated would be a fairly intense battle between Tekkadan and Carta’s remaining forces plus Galli-Galli and Ein turns out to be a big one-sided beatdown. Mirroring the third episode of the series, the third to last episode has a Gjallarhorn soldier seeking a fight with Tekkadan. However, whereas Crank sought them out to mitigate and/or stop any further slaughter, Carta has an honour issue. Yet due to her killing of Biscuit, nevermind the fact she is wasting Tekkadan’s time, she isn’t allowed to indulge in that battle to reclaim it. Instead she’s annihilated by Mika who cares not one whit for her feels. It’s kinda sad… but kinda deserved since she warrants no sympathy in their regard. It is only by the timely rescue by Galli-Galli in a revamped Kimaris that she lives… Maybe? Her eyes somewhat glaze over in her final scene, so it is hard to tell if she died really. It’s kinda Ein all over again.