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I'm not usually a forum-y type of guy but I just wanted to thank you guys for this great series. I've been somewhat of a passive anime admirer for the past several years but through listening to ANN Cast since mid last year I've realized what a small industry this is and that I should be more actively supporting the artists I enjoy. I've just ordered a bunch of my first non-Ghibli DVD's & BD's including a lot of what you guys have been talking about in these 80's shows. Again thanks for the great shows and I look forward to hearing more.

Hot damn! Post #2! I am the Buzz Aldrin of this thread! Suck it, all subsequent postronauts!

Seriously, I feel I should apologize for being louder than everyone else in this recording. I don't ordinarily talk that way. I just severely underestimated the pick-up quality of the microphone on my iMac. I'll do better next time.

Whenever someone tells me "Now it might look unimpressive but in 1985 it was great" all of a sudden red flags start appearing like mad. A show that was great in 1985 should still be great by 2012. Riding Bean is still great, Gundam 0080 is still great, Urusei Yatsura is still great.

A top ten should only have ten anime on it. If you have more than ten than it stops being a top ten. When we do a 90's version I am not going to group Yasuhiro Imagawa's work together, my top two are going to be Giant Robo and G Gundam.

Too bad my list didn't get read (at least I don't think my list was read)

(WARNING: It's a long post, but it's just because I had a lot to reply to)

If Tim didn't know already, there's a Victory Gundam side-story manga that features an old-man Judau Ashta piloting the ZZ and helping the Victory crew for the story the manga tells, so it's not like Judau is completely forgotten about after Gundam ZZ. I will agree that Judau is a very enjoyable Gundam character, and I'll take the sarcastic and light-hearted Judau Ashta over the supremely-whiny and nigh-hypocritic Kamille Bidan any day. Again, that's mostly why I prefer Metal Armor Dragonar over Zeta & ZZ, since it was able to take elements of both of those Gundam shows (specifically Zeta's mega-seriousness & ZZ's light-heartedness) without going too far in either direction, giving Dragonar a nice mix that shows that Sunrise can learn their lesson.

I agree with Daryl's assessment of Rintaro by saying that I remember enjoying the X movie, even though I will admit that it can be a convoluted mess of a story due to the sheer amount of characters. I think I'll have to watch it again to see if I still like it. On the other hand, I must admit that I haven't watched any Studio Ghibli productions outside of catching the second half of Princess Mononoke a couple of years back when Cartoon Network aired it, though I do have Grave of the Fireflies & Tales from Earthsea on DVD. My only excuse? I can be really lazy when it comes to stuff like this.

Fist of the North Star's "early filler problem" is tough to get through, but you do receive a great reward by getting a very story-focused run of episodes after plowing through that filler. It's the same thing with Saint Seiya TV, though Seiya's filler is worse since the show does heavily mix the filler into the actual story, requiring you to watch 100% filler episodes just so you won't get confused when filler characters appear in manga-adapted episodes (those damn Steel Saints!); Fist TV does the mix, too, but it's not as heavily-done. But once you're out of the filler you get a great run of actual story.

I think the main reason why GoShogun: The Time Etranger is so different from its original show is because of why the show was popular in the first place: The characters. From what I could tell, the original GoShogun TV series was mostly a series that made fun of the entire mech genre; apparently one scene involved the crew finding a robot that looks like the RX-78 "Gundam", and after GoShogun apparently gives it life the robot decides to kill itself after recalling its memories of war, and one of the reocurring jokes was that one of the villians' goals was to open a chain of fast-food restaurants. But in the end the show was more remembered for its characters and their great banter, which is easily seen by playing any Super Robot Wars that has GoShogun in it; much limke Braiger, GoShogun is more about the pilots than the robot. And I think The Time Etranger purposefully made it so much about the characters that the movie had to be a 100% different production than the original TV series.

I really dug both parts of this. Is there plans to do one for 90's and 00's as well? Just curious.

A Doozybots reference in the episode description; very excellent.

I enjoyed this entire exercise a lot. I will have to see some of these things; I already have Riding Bean in the mail. I really look forward to the nineties episode in the Summer.

The sound was a little odd this time around. Zac was significantly quieter than everybody else. It wasn't unmanageable, but I don't remember that being a problem last week.

I know that Daryl doesn't like it, but since I'm sure that somebody will be interested, the and those who don't feel like looking for the lists from last episode, the complete lists are as below:

Tim Eldred:

Last Time on ANNCast... wrote:

10. Adieu Galaxy Express 999 (Toei, 1981]

9. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds (Top Craft, 1984)

8. Panzer World Gallient (Sunrise, 1984)

7. Armor Hunter Mellowlink (Sunrise, 1988)

6. Giant Gorg (Sunrise, 1984)

5. Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam / Mobile Suit ZZ Gundam (Sunrise, 1985/1986)

4. Fist of the North Star* (Toei, 1984)

3. Blue Meteor SPT Layzner (Sunrise, 1985)

2. Galactic Drifter Vifam (Sunrise, 1983)

1. Armored Trooper VOTOMS (Sunrise, 1983)

(While I haven't seen many of the titles listed during these episodes, Galactic Drifter Vifam was the only one I hadn't even heard of)

Daryl Surat:

Previously on ANNCast... wrote:

10. Laputa, Castle in the Sky (Studio Ghibli, 1986)

9. Fist of the North Star* (Toei, 1984)

8. My Youth in Arcadia (Toei, 1982)

7. Project A-ko (Studio A.P.P.P., 1981)

6. Urusei Yatsura (Kitty Films, 1986)

5. Dagger of Kamui (Madhouse, 1985)

4. Akira (Tōkyō Movie Shinsha, 1988)

3. Golgo 13: The Professional (Tōkyō Movie Shinsha, 1983)

2. Area 88 (Studeio Pierrot 1985)

1. The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? (Studio Nue, 1984)

Justin Sevakis:

On the last episode of ANNCast..." wrote:

10. The Super Dimension Fortress Macross: Do You Remember Love? (Studio Nue, 1984)

9. Patlabor The Mobile Police (OAV I/1988) (Studio DEEN, 1988)

8. Royal Space Force – The Wings of Honnêamise (GAINAX, 1987)

7. Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (Sunrise, 1989)

6. Windaria (Kaname Production, 1986)

5. Megazone 23 Part II (AIC/ARTMIC Studios, 1986)

4. Night on the Galactic Railroad (Group TAC, 1985)

3. GoShogun: The Time Étranger (Ashi Productions, 1985)[/i]

2. Space Adventure Cobra (UK Dub) (Tōkyō Movie Shinsha, 198Y)

1. Touch (Group TAC, 1985)

Zac Bertschy:

When we last left our heroes... wrote:

10. Mobile Suit Gundam Movie Trilogy (Sunrise, 1981)

9. Fist of the North Star* (Toei, 1984)

8. Angel’s Egg (Studio DEEN, 1985)

7. Touch (Group TAC, 1985)

6. Riding Bean (AIC, ARTMIC Studios and Youmex, 1983)

5. My Neighbor Totoro / Kiki’s Delivery Service (Studio Ghibli, 1989/1989)

4. Night on the Galactic Railroad (Group TAC, 1985)

3. Space Adventure Cobra (Tōkyō Movie Shinsha, 198Y)

2. Akira (Tōkyō Movie Shinsha, 1988)

1. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Winds (Top Craft, 1984)

My top three wasn't listed, but just for the record, was as follows:
1. Project A-ko
2. GoShogun: The Time Étranger
3. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

I expect this to be very entertaining and informative series.

Charred Knight wrote:

Whenever someone tells me "Now it might look unimpressive but in 1985 it was great" all of a sudden red flags start appearing like mad. A show that was great in 1985 should still be great by 2012. Riding Bean is still great, Gundam 0080 is still great, Urusei Yatsura is still great.

I totally agree. When I see an anime that was visually impressive from 1985, it's still visually impressive NOW. Like Area 88's aerial combat sequences are more or less unmatched in anime from any time, even Macross Zero or Yukikaze. Megazone 23 Part II's and Patlabor 1's destruction scenes are still beautiful. It's clearly not the animation that changed, animation is is still a frame by frame process, but the visuals that people can't get over. Yeah, 80s anime aren't going to have pristine CG backgrounds or the ability to use advanced digital compositing for ridiculously complex shots, but when something is done well, it sticks out and remains that way. Character design probably dates an anime more than anything, from what I've noticed.

Surrender Artist wrote:

The sound was a little odd this time around. Zac was significantly quieter than everybody else. It wasn't unmanageable, but I didn't remember that problem last week.

Weird; the version that was uploaded hadn't been run through Levelator.

I fixed it and reuploaded the proper version. Should sound like it always does now.

I'm still a little upset over how Bandai Entertainment first released Zeta Gundam, with the dubtitles. I wish I had held out for the corrected subtitles, but they implied the first set was the only way you were going to get it. And don't get me started on the compilation movies.

Double Zeta? It's not anime, it's real life! Bad joke aside, though, it does have some pretty good episodes, especially the Dublin episodes. It's nowhere near as good as Zeta was, but I think a lot of people are turning around on this title, including me. I, too, enjoy Judau. I think what makes him instantly likeable is that he has a bunch of friends. It's almost like, "Hey, he's got friends, he must be cool!" Whereas Amuro and Kamille are very standoffish and kind of loners.

I love Bubblegum Crisis! I remember the first time watching it, on the Encore Action Channel. It's 80s-tastic, one of those ultra-violent fun 80s anime. It's nothing too complex, but it is so deliciously self-indulgant, I can't help but enjoy it. I agree that the dub is terrible (I wish somebody would re-dub it), one of the worst, but at least they went through the trouble of doing English versions of the songs. I read Daryl's article about it, it was good stuff. Oh, and AnimEigo put out a "remastered" set in a better blue box, which I have, but I still have the original box, too.

While reviewing things, I realized that I forgot to offer another comment on Time Etranger: it always seemed to me like anime's answer to The Prisoner. It seemed to do for super robot tropes what The Prisoner did for British secret agent tropes; twisted them through a surreal grinder into something much more interesting.

Just puttin' it out there.

Kiki's Delivery Service was my first anime! I saw a commercial on TV for the original Disney VHS release and knew I had to see it. That movie has such a special place in my heart. I love it. Anime catgrin

Last edited by walw6pK4Alo on Fri Apr 06, 2012 8:53 pm; edited 2 times in total

I agree with the many views Bubblegum Crisis and forcing it on people, seeking it yourself when you specifically want what it provides is the only way to go into it. So when people ask for cyberpunk or shows with futuristic urban environments, it's always on there with Cyber City OEDO 808 and Armitage III. Telling people to just outright watch it now wouldn't fly, it's definitely mired in the 80s aesthetic visually an aurally. But since I dig that, I've always enjoyed it. Watching the BluRay over the old DVDs is definitely the way the go. Even with all of the animation shortcuts, mistakes, and dirt on the film, the grain really makes the art pop out more.

And yeah, about Yuyama, that guy has done a lot of really awesome stuff. Apfelland Monogatari just got subbed recently, and it's an interesting pre-WWI alternate history where Germany gets some radium shell that they want to attack France with, but have to go through this Swiss-like country. It's much more complex and serious that a kid's movie should be, but that's what happens when it's based off a Yoshiki Tanaka work. There's also a bunch of other non-Pokemon works like Slow Step, which is about teen relationships. How and why did he get roped into only doing Pokemon when even Gemnu Senki Leda stand can on its own and remain decently popular. I base this off of all the pixiv artwork I've seen, and unless there's been some recent related work, why would Leda, of all one-shot 80s OVAs still remain in the otaku consciousness? I even edited a Leda doujinshi recently from one of my preferred artists., that's certainly an uncommon occurrence; I never see Althea or Fandora doujinshi.

Adding to the Area 88 talk, I haven't even bothered to watch the new series. It's sitting in my Rightstuf cart because it has a good deal, but I just don't feel like it. Normally when I watch a series, I'll try to consume everything related to it in a methodical manner, but with Area 88 I just don't feel like the mid 00s crappy CG planes would be worth sitting through when the original has unmatchable sequencing. You have moving jets with airbrushing on the cels, that's impressive. As soon as I saw it, it moved right into my top five anime, and I showed to my college anime club, who really dug it and were getting emotionally invested in the story too. They really wanted to see Shin and Ryoko get together, so you imagine their reactions to the anime's ambiguous and bleak conclusion. And Daryl, I do believe more people know about the OVA series not just from the the video game, it often comes up when people are asking for jet fighter anime like Macross Plus or Zero. As for Shintani, that dude has some really interesting other anime tied to his name: Cleopatra DC daring to blow up a space shuttle 3 years after the Challenger disaster takes some massive nugs, and Goddamn rallying concept was fairly unique at the time of futuristic vision of Cyber Formula. No doubt Area 88 is his best work, and I'm glad he was able to impart his wants on the OVA, like the empty cartridges falling in the style of Dallos.

Kunihiko Yuyama directed the Shin Kimagure Orange Road movie, but I guess that was some time ago now. I enjoy Leda a lot (I own the R2 DVD). Mutsumi Inomata did the character designs, Shiro Sagisu did the music, and Hiromi Tsuru voiced the main character. It also gets points for naming characters after the Kama Sutra ("Ringhum, Yoni, please help me!"). It has this subtle erotic vibe running through it while never showing anything explicit. Compared to Birth, which was much more of a showcase for animation technique (the making-of doc is more interesting than the show), Leda does hold up a lot better.

An interesting note about the sex scene in Megazone 23 Part II: After the initial theatrical release, the scene was cut down for the video releases. I always wondered why there were more explicit shots in the film comic until I saw the DVD, which used a new master. A DVD with the English dubbed version was bundled with the MZ23 PS3 game, but that version was edited to a hilarious degree. They had to cut out the entire sex scene as well as all the violent shots of people dying in wonderfully messy ways.

I definitely want to check out Night on the Galactic Railroad and Space Adventure Cobra after hearing them mentioned on this show. Can anyone do me a solid and link to that French DVD with the UK dub?

Vifam sounds kind of interesting; I'll watch it after I finish Galient. Curse you, ANNCast, I think you've got me into 80s robot anime! I swore that I'd avoid that trap, but alas... Razz

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