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The Mike Toole Show - SNK-Hole


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Lord Geo



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 2699
Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey
PostPosted: Sun May 03, 2015 11:06 am Reply with quote
I've actually heard that the second Samurai Shodown, based on the 3D fighter spin-off that was released on the NeoGeo Hyper 64 (of all things), is actually pretty good because it focuses on the story of a single character, Asura. As for the Nakoruru OVA, that thing is simply incomplete. It was originally supposed to be 13 episodes long, but then was shortened down to only two. After the first episode came out, however, the whole Groove Corporation fiasco happened, which screwed over the second episode of the Nakoruru OVA, the compilation movies for Geisters, & the home video release of the all-CG Xevious movie.

As for fighting game-based anime, the main problem a lot of them have is that they try to shove every character & make them all feel somewhat important, creating a cluster---- of a mess. The Street Fighter II movie was smart & kept the focus to only a handful of characters, keeping everyone else as merely cameos. I'm sure that the idea of making the entire line-up in the game important is usually down to the game companies demanding it, too, so it's not something that can usually be fixed (minus some exceptions, like the SFII movie).

I actually kind of enjoyed the Psychic Force OVA, but that thing really needed a third episode, because the second episode really just rushed everything home. Actually, come to think of it, why are most fighting game OVAs only two episodes? That seems to be a common factor between a lot of them, & I don't get why. The one episode stuff tends to be the stuff that was originally TV specials (Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury, etc.), but very few actually go beyond two, even though having a third episode would likely do wonders for their pacing & storytelling (it wouldn't save most of them from sucking, but it would be a marked improvement nonetheless).

As for what fighting games I did wish saw some sort of anime adaptation, even if it wouldn't be any good in the first place, I'd answer with Guilty Gear (though Xrd's Story Mode is essentially its own anime), Tech Romancer & Virtual-On (which would be nothing more than mech anime, but they would both be interesting to see happen).
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Running Wild





PostPosted: Sun May 03, 2015 11:44 am Reply with quote
Samurai Spirits Asura Zanmaden is [expletive] awesome, sticks very close to the source material, all the original voice actors from the games too. But it won't make much sense if you don't know about the events that happened during Samurai Shodown 64, which is one of the most obscure SNK games out there.

Also the Virtua Fighter tv series is very underrated, it gives alot of personality to a game series that otherwise has very little.

Also I hate when people call Art Of fighting a Street Fighter rip-off. Art Of Fighting is totally unique and innovative, it didn't play particularly well, but it helped revolutionize fighting game mechanics. The anime adaption though was lousy, it had no Mr.Karate! I do love some of the one liners though, particularly from Robert.

And I think an over the top cheesy OVA of World Heroes or Fighters History would be awesome!
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JaggedAuthor



Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Posts: 981
PostPosted: Sun May 03, 2015 12:11 pm Reply with quote
At age 12, a VHS copy of Fatal Fury: The Motion Picture was the first anime I ever purchased. Soon after watching it, I returned to my local Suncoast and bought the two TV specials with the remainder of my birthday cash. I wasn't even a fan of the games at the time.

I remember looking forward to the Toshinden OVAs since I had just gotten a PlayStation and was obsessed with the first two games. Big thanks to Mike for shedding some light on why the anime adaptation was such a sloppy disappointment. Even as a kid, it was apparent to me that the production largely changed hands between episodes one and two.

I totally agree with the points made about Gowcaiser and the various titles based on Capcom properties. (I REALLY wanted to like Darkstalkers more than I did.) I've never seen the Art of Fighting OVA, but it seems like something I might enjoy on a purely camp level.

Throughout high school and college - when my free time was dominated by Guilty Gear X and later Guilty Gear XX - I pined for a GG anime. However, after the poorly animated, confusing mess that was BlazBlue: Alter Memory, I think I'm okay with Guilty Gear never receiving an anime adaptation.
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Blanchimont



Joined: 25 Feb 2012
Posts: 3586
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Sun May 03, 2015 12:18 pm Reply with quote
I've actually heard of most of these names. Even though I'm not sure I've ever seen any of them (I really should sit down and watch through the Street Fighter stuff someday as I enjoyed the heck out of the earlier console versions of it back in the day). Probably because been collecting obscure stuff through years online...

As said, a lot of this can be hard to obtain officially, but for anyone just wanting to check some of this out, all of them have been released online at some points in time, with a few exceptions(DinoZaurs pilot, Day of Sigma(can be found, but not in English)), even the more obscure stuff like Nakoruru.

Also, Virtua Fighter the anime only saw a partial release in the West, with only 24 episodes out of a total of 35, as Anime Works pulled the plug because of failing sales. The missing episodes can be found online, albeit unfortunately not English-translated.
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Nyren



Joined: 07 Oct 2014
Posts: 709
PostPosted: Sun May 03, 2015 12:35 pm Reply with quote
Who are the two characters on the column cover? I don't recognize them.
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Blanchimont



Joined: 25 Feb 2012
Posts: 3586
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Sun May 03, 2015 12:41 pm Reply with quote
Nyren wrote:
Who are the two characters on the column cover? I don't recognize them.

Shiranui Mai and Andy Bogard from the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters game series.
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scriver058



Joined: 21 May 2006
Posts: 127
Location: NY
PostPosted: Sun May 03, 2015 12:54 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Its story concerns a pair of nomadic shotokan karate champs


Ryu and Ken's style isn't shotokan, its described as falling under the definition of Ansatsuken, assassination martial arts. Shotokan is what Capcom USA called it.
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BWprowl
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 31 Dec 2014
Posts: 11
PostPosted: Sun May 03, 2015 1:39 pm Reply with quote
As a big fan of the storylines in the Dead or Alive games (which I've always likened to being a fan of McDonald's for their salads), I've often wanted to see said stories adapted into cool, more easily-digestible anime/TV formats. Their ridiculous ninjasploitation, cloning/bioweapon soap-operas are just ripe for a series of some sort, you'd think.

...Then I remember the Tekken anime, and the Dead or Alive film, and realize that DOA's probably better off for never getting adapted again.

The SFII movie is cool, but the best other-medium SF adaptation will always be Masahiko Nakahira's various manga. We have him to thank for Karin and Evil Ryu, at least.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11626
PostPosted: Sun May 03, 2015 3:00 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
the original off-air TV broadcast version

I don't understand. How does an off-air broadcast work?
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Top Gun



Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 4830
PostPosted: Sun May 03, 2015 3:23 pm Reply with quote
I thought I recognized the name "Obari" and those initial character shots...and then I saw Virus Buster Serge. I will never get those hours back. *shudder*

Much love for SFII V, though. GONNA BURN SOME MUSCLE!
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penguintruth



Joined: 08 Dec 2004
Posts: 8503
Location: Penguinopolis
PostPosted: Sun May 03, 2015 3:59 pm Reply with quote
Shudder. Masami Obari is poisonous outside of Bubblegum Crisis. And Virus Buster Serge might be the worst anime I have ever seen. It's just a hodgepodge of Bubblegum Crisis and Neon Genesis Evangelion tropes, but it's Obari trying to be "deep" and failing miserably.
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WingKing



Joined: 27 Apr 2015
Posts: 617
PostPosted: Sun May 03, 2015 4:01 pm Reply with quote
Lord Geo wrote:
Actually, come to think of it, why are most fighting game OVAs only two episodes? That seems to be a common factor between a lot of them, & I don't get why. The one episode stuff tends to be the stuff that was originally TV specials (Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury, etc.), but very few actually go beyond two, even though having a third episode would likely do wonders for their pacing & storytelling (it wouldn't save most of them from sucking, but it would be a marked improvement nonetheless).


Variable Geo's OVA was three episodes, but I can't say it helped the plot very much (although the plot was basically a straight-up ripoff of the Street Fighter II movie to begin with). All it did was give us an extra 30 minutes for more character fights and fanservice, which are pretty much the only two reasons anyone would ever watch Variable Geo anyway.

I kind of liked the Fatal Fury OVAs. I'd never call them great, but they're definitely entertaining enough to be worth watching. There's also some nostalgia for me going back and watching them now, taking me back to high school and college years.

As for my "fighting game anime" wish list, that would have to start with Double Dragon (how did we get a live action movie for that but never get an anime?) and Final Fight. The latter, especially, has enough of an in-game story already that someone would've just had to flesh it out a little to make a half-decent series out of it. I'm also a little surprised that no one's ever done a Soul Calibur anime, given how popular that franchise has been.
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GATSU



Joined: 03 Jan 2002
Posts: 15611
PostPosted: Sun May 03, 2015 4:03 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
That's really fascinating trivia to me, and a testament to the power of talent agencies—because their star was once attached to something dumb and mediocre, they somehow managed to get her out of newer releases of the film.


I think the issue is probably that they'd have to pay higher royalties to her, because of her newfound fame.

Anyway, anime adaptations of games only work when the games were actually worth playing in the first place. That's why Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals is so mediocre. 'Cus the original story's a derivative knock-off of the much-better FF IV. Though I will concede that Samurai Spirits could've been better. But they'd have to turn that one into a tv series to give it the space it needs to work more effectively.

Quote:
After all, we got Gowcaiser, but not all of Samurai Shodown?!


Gowcaiser has tits. Plus, I don't think Samurai Shodown was ever really that popular, compared to other SNK fighting games.

Quote:
I don't think any of them are really worth a damn aside from Street Fighter II V,


Really? That one's laughable, and this AMV is the only thing which makes it worthwhile. Oh, and you forgot that Gonzo Chun-Li anime which was a tie-in to the live-action movie, and which is still a Japan exclusive.

Quote:
I guess what fascinates me about these productions is that they're almost never any damn good at all, but they just keep getting made.


Well, if they really want to play the 'take my money' game, we'd get anime adaptations of Zelda, Chrono Trigger, and Xenogears. And since that effer will never appear to happen in video game form, how about Yu Suzuki just write out a Shen Mue 3 anime, too?

Quote:
Are there other fighting games ripe for anime adaptations?


Mortal Kombat by way of Madhouse might work.

BW: I'm not going to pretend that live-action DOA was a masterpiece, but it was a nice guilty pleasure.
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Blanchimont



Joined: 25 Feb 2012
Posts: 3586
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Sun May 03, 2015 4:23 pm Reply with quote
WingKing wrote:
...I'm also a little surprised that no one's ever done a Soul Calibur anime, given how popular that franchise has been.

At the rate the anime industry is burning up ideas and stories, scavenging the obscurest light novel and eroge, shouldn't be long now.

That said, I'd love an adaptation of Soul Calibur, plenty of great material in that one. Aand would hope they'd hurried a bit as I fully expect a crash in Japan's domestic anime industry aimed at otaku demographics sometime within the next few years. Just a gut feeling...
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Cutiebunny



Joined: 18 Apr 2010
Posts: 1770
PostPosted: Sun May 03, 2015 4:23 pm Reply with quote
Mike Toole wrote:
How about that story about Nakazawa's little jab, though? Do you think it's true?


I can believe it. I've seen a lot of interesting things after going to cons across the country for seven years. I've seen mental breakdowns, finicky artists and lots of drunk hijinks, and these are from just the GoHs. It's not uncommon for drunk and/or sober (but jaded) GoHs to talk smack about other artists - happened just last year at SakuraCon when a certain GoH had a few choice words about Miyazaki.

Conventions basically allow GoHs to do whatever they darn well please with very few, if any, hard limits. That means that if they want to hit the bottle hard, as long as they meet whatever requirements their contract with the convention stipulates, they can do whatever they want. Which means that people like Toshimichi Mori of Blazblue fame were allowed to get completely drunk prior to his panel at SakuraCon, which left staff quite puzzled (and angry at any attendee that pointed out Mori's state) as to what to do as he was in no shape or form able to function.
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