I know nobody gives a crap about my dumb sprite padding material, most especially because if you hadn’t ever read my comic strips, there’s about zero context, and you can’t even read them anymore, except the sparse amount I put up on my DeviantArt gallery. The whole “storyline” bullshit? It’s for me. It’s basically just for me to work out story ideas I had that I never got to in my strips. Hopefully it provides some kind of atmosphere, regardless of context. But that aside, while I am committed to doing *less* of it in 2019, you’ll still see it. It’s not like I get any more or less views in videos that have it.
Otaku Evolution Episode 129 – Sailor Moon S: The Movie
This year’s Christmas episode, subtitled A Hastily Prepared Otaku Evolution Christmas, is well-named, because I didn’t get the chance to do a lot of the wrap-around atmosphere-setting like in the past years. The best I could do was the usual zoom into Penguinopolis. But I did create a whole new background, a comfy, Christmas-tinged setting from which to anchor my sprite avatar between clips, and I’m deeply satisfied with how it turned out. Yeah, I probably could have gone through the trouble of animating the fire in the fireplace, but it’s such a small detail (just pretend it was a fake fire, a light bulb shaped like a fire for the set… besides which, Penguinopolis probably wouldn’t have chimneys) and if you’re eagle-eyed, you’ll notice how appropriate that painting is for the decor.
HiRM 1/100 Gundam Astray Red Frame Review
Allow me cut to the chase. The Hi-Resolution Model Astray is an astounding “meh.”
The Hi-Resolution Gundam Astray Red Frame (first in what may be 1000x variants if they sell well enough) is my first from the HiRM lineup. I didn’t pay much attention to the first two HiRM models due to a general disinterest in the design and avoidance (at the time) of After Colony kits. At some point I forgot that HiRM kits come with a pre assembled inner frame which Kotobukiya started, not very successfully at least at first, nearly a decade ago. It wasn’t until I opened the box that I realized the Astray was in the same vein. Thankfully nothing is wrong with the inner frame, or the rest of the kit for that matter. For the most part it’s a pretty stout, and posable, release. The very thing you’d want out of an Astray kit. What dampens my enjoyment is the design of the kit itself.
Otaku Evolution Episode 128 – Redline
As the year starts to wind down, I wanted to do a quick and easy review, so that means covering the Takeshi Koike visual feast that is Redline!
So… yeah, that’s all I need to say. It’s fucking Redline, folks. Wacky Races to the nth degree.
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– Penguin Truth
(2018)
Otaku Evolution Episode 127 – Azumanga Daioh
I thought I’d take on an anime comedy, which I don’t normally review. This one, Azumanga Daioh is based on a four panel comic, so naturally it’s very episodic even within individual episodes, adapting little jokes into larger pictures. In other words, the basic plot is kind of basic (mostly just high school girls and their daily lives). However, it’s anime comfort food. It makes you feel warm and lightens your spirit for a bit, like a fresh oatmeal cookie. It also helps that English dub is reasonably good, not their best, but better than the average.
Dimension Studio & Eastern Model 1/6 Ultraman Review
I’m going to start off this review by saying I don’t know who exactly made this kit. I got this kit from Samuel Decal (I don’t always buy third party kits, but when I do it’s usually through him). He’s referred to it as being from E-Model and Model Principle. The product itself says it’s the result of a collaboration between Dimension Studio and Eastern Model. There’s also “Kokoro Link” mentioned all over the place… based on context maybe that’s something to do with this version of Ultraman specifically? I’m also unsure whether this is official or not. I’ve seen sites selling them as officially licensed, and there’s copyright marks for Eiichi Shimizu, Tomohiro Shimoguchi, and Tsubaraya Productions all over the place… but that the same time this came out of China, the manual is in English and Chinese, and isn’t one any of the 100% legit sites (eg HLJ, AmiAmi). Assuming it is unofficial, it’s one hell of a nice original kit.
Otaku Evolution Episode 126 – Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy
So, yeah, Lupin III: The Fuma Conspiracy is a noteworthy feature. A single, long-formed OVA, basically a movie, it follows the Lupin gang’s scramble to get to a family’s hidden treasure before a group of ninjas do, all while Zenigata pursues them. Not very unlike your average Lupin feature in that regard, but very well constructed in terms of production values, settings, the chase scenes, and some of the action and comedy. I call it a spiritual successor to Castle of Cagliostro, because it shares a few of the same visual and emotional touchstones. Too bad the English dub is substandard, but I’ll get into that at the end of the year. Just enjoy a short rundown and some highlights that illustrate why I think so highly of this title.
Otaku Evolution Episode 125 – Hellsing Ultimate (OVA)
It’s time again for my annual Halloween video! This time I took a page out of my first year’s Halloween fare, Hellsing, with a review of Hellsing Ultimate, the 10-episode more-accurate-to-the-manga adaptation of Kouta Hirano’s manga. It’s big, it’s loud, it’s kind of silly, but it’s oh so compelling, a monster mash with an operatic flair. So pour a bowl of mini Kit Kats, open a pumpkin beer, and let’s watch an OP mega-vampire fight Nazis! Hey, if you’re going to be a denizen of a undead horde, don’t also be a bigot!
Otaku Evolution Episode 124 – Bubblegum Crisis (OVA)
Ahhh… damn it. Action Channel Month is supposed to, you know, be in one month. September. But for some reason, this one took longer than usual. Well, it’s not like I have enough of a following (or any) to dash expectations. If I do this again next year (though I may replace it with another kind of theme month), I’ll try to get three videos done on time. I’m only doing a few more videos this year because of personal reasons, but I’ll try my best.
Anyway, Bubblegum Crisis is a one of those anime that got popular back before I was an anime fan, video tapes passed around college campuses, the classic Usenet newsgroup, the 40 second clips that took 90 minutes to download on a dial-up modem, etc. I’d heard the title, but it sounded a little too bizarre. Even when I learned the premise, I let it pass me by. When I started watching anime on The Action Channel, however, I finally got a chance to see what the fuss was about, and I was pretty impressed. Badass beauties battling bots in breastplates with bit rates? Brilliant!
Lupin III Part V Episode 24 Review
Episode 20, “Viva Lupin III”
*****SPOILERS*****
Synopsis: Shake Hands is in turmoil as governments of the world clamp down on PeopleLog to prevent leaks of classified information. This is the perfect time for Lupin, with allies past and present, to strike at their HQ once again. The plan is complicated by the US military doing some striking of their own, so our favorite felon has to be fleet to uncage Fujiko before everything collapses. Albert, meanwhile, has his own designs on PeopleLog’s resources, and Fujiko demands the answer to her important question. A mask flies off as the clock winds down for this fantastic Lupin series with one last hurrah!