Excel Saga is the anime that I immediately think of when somebody says “anime comedy”. It could’ve been FLCL, which I think is better, but FLCL isn’t as gut-bustingly hilarious, so much as it is contemplative with a little zaniness baked in. Excel Saga is pure comedy, through and through, and I recall the hype around it on the original Otaku Revolution message board. I didn’t see it until ADV licensed it, and I still have the DVD singles that I collected over time. Excel Saga may not be up there among my top 20 anime, but it’s always a treat to revisit.
Otaku Evolution
Otaku Evolution Episode 191 – Black Jack OVA (Eps 7-8)
Black Jack is glorious bullshit. It’s like watching the medical version of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure sometimes. You think you have a good grasp of the real life medical information being relayed, everything seems pretty grounded, if not always believable (just look at Pinoko), but then some wild nonsense like a talking thousands year old tree and a leaf boy are thrown at you and you’re left wondering what Osamu Tezuka, or Osamu Dezaki, were smoking that lead them to these plot beats. This is why I watch two episodes at a time, to get a decent sampling of both the realistic and fanciful, and still have episodes left for later.
Otaku Evolution Episode 190 – Silent Möbius 2
In case you were wondering, my review of the first movie is here
You know, the premise of Silent Möbius– a police force using a mix of magic and technology battles interdimensional monsters- lends itself to interesting story possibilities. But the Silent Möbius movies just don’t live up to the potential. Perhaps because it’s too busy being an origin story. But they could have done so much better at getting me interested in whether or not (and how) Katsumi joins the AMP, an already forgone conclusion given the bookends in the first movie. This movie, like the first, just feels like completely empty calories. But at least this one was a minor improvement on the first, because it wasn’t quite as dull.
Otaku Evolution Episode 189 – Trigun
While not holding up entirely, Trigun is, overall, a pretty fun television series that can proudly stand apart from the manga. There are definitely episodes that are significantly better than others, but you can find that in even the best anime. What I think I like the most about Trigun is that it’s a unique experience. I mean, name another anime that’s even somewhat like it. I mean, aside from (vaguely) Kenshin, but Trigun is more than just “Kenshin with guns” or “space western Kenshin“. I was happy to revisit it.
Otaku Evolution Episode 188 – Cyborg 009 (Part 2)
Part two of my look at 2001’s Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier involves looking at some of the non-Black Ghost related storylines in the series. There’s the mythology arc with the cyborgs fashioned after Greek gods, the two parter with the extraterrestrials/otherdimensionals, and there’s the unfinished final arc where the cyborgs get an upgrade. But there are also one-off episodes that I thought were worth highlighting here, like the one where 009 experiences time different because his Accelerator Mode is stuck (that might be my favorite episode).
Otaku Evolution Episode 187 – Cyborg 009 (Part 1)
It’s been a while, huh? We’re all still feeling the hurt from last year, aren’t we, and yet here we are? As usual, I took January off to cool my jets, but I’m back for another year of the plucky little anime review show that can… well, can’t, really, but tries anyway.
First up? A look at the 2001 anime TV series Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier. It’s a 51 episode series about cyborgs with different abilities fighting… well, mostly other cyborgs with different abilities. It’s like Kakaider, but a little less up its own ass.
Otaku Evolution Episode 186 – Year End English Dub Review VII
2020 was a horrific year. The year saw a pandemic, social strife, and an election that seems to still linger (for some reason). We lost Kobe Bryant and Alex Trebek, and many of us lost people even closer. So it feels a bit frivolous to care so much about a silly little anime review show that few people even watch to begin with. The weight of this year is heavy. But maybe that’s why we need some lighthearted frivolity now and then.
I’m moving along in the Lithos storyline, which will carry over into the new year, with some more bits about the Penguinopolis Mk. II. I have a general idea where I want the story to go, but don’t get hung up on direction, because there are elements where I’m just winging it.
Otaku Evolution Episode 177 – Batman: Gotham Knight
How often do I get to talk about my favorite superhero (aside from Jarro, the jar-sized Starro) on my little anime review show? Never, is when. So I leapt at the chance to finally getting to the Batman anime, Gotham Knight, which contains plenty of Vitamin B(atman). Not only that, but I compiled a bit of a list of recommended Batman reading for the viewer in the credits section, so keep an eye on that, and pause on each section to write the list down.
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Otaku Evolution Episode 176 – Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi
I don’t review a lot of comedy anime, because a lot of anime tries really hard to be funny and truly isn’t. Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi is even a bit of a mixed bag itself, in terms of funny, but it does get a few chuckles out of me, and besides which has a classic “coming of age” angle to it, though it takes a back seat to gags. It’s kind of a Baby’s First FLCL.
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Otaku Evolution Episode 175 – Armitage III
Not a whole lot to say about this one, except that it has this weird “evil feminist conspiracy” angle to it that Chiaki Konaka must’ve dreamt up while he was in a paranoid state after too much cocaine. Honestly, other than that, Armitage III‘s a pretty straightforward cyberpunk action OVA with a little bit of a mystery in it. I do really like the character of Armitage, though Ross is a little dull. I don’t know, maybe it’s the fate of all people named Ross to be dull. It’s a very dull name.