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The Mike Toole Show - Holy Terra


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PurpleWarrior13



Joined: 05 Sep 2009
Posts: 2035
PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 12:14 pm Reply with quote
I watched the 2001 anime adaptation of Cyborg 009 when I was younger, not knowing it was adapted from a manga from the 60s and that it was it's third anime adaptation. I've watched bits of the late 60s and late 70s/early 80s versions, but they're both so hard to find. I hope they both get licensed by someone so we can see them legally. Unfortunately not even the 2001 series has a complete DVD release here, despite being fully dubbed. We only have one 2-disc set with 8 uncut episode and two 1-disc volumes with 4 edited episodes each.

Seeing the differences is interesting at least (I love the 70s series' theme song), and I'm looking forward to seeing the new movie.

As for Toward the Terra, I haven't seen it, but there is a trailer for the movie on one of my Dirty Pair DVDs from Nozomi. It looks interesting to say the least!


Last edited by PurpleWarrior13 on Sun Apr 06, 2014 10:03 pm; edited 2 times in total
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phia_one



Joined: 15 Jan 2012
Posts: 1661
Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 1:15 pm Reply with quote
I've only seen the TV series of Toward the Terra. It was a blind buy because I was craving some science fiction. I really enjoyed it, though I thought it dragged in a few places like the Mu on Naska.
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Adam Wednesdays



Joined: 24 Jun 2012
Posts: 30
PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 1:39 pm Reply with quote
Thanks for the write-up on them, Mike. I've been reading and loving Vertical's release of To Terra over the last couple of months, but I haven't checked out any of the anime adaptations. I didn't realize there were that many, either. Once I finish the manga I'll definitely try to track them down.
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Penguin_Factory



Joined: 28 Oct 2007
Posts: 732
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 2:33 pm Reply with quote
Yay, someone is talking about Toward the Terra! I have several somewhat obscure favourites (check out my avatar) like this that I get giddy about whenever they pop up in prominent positions.

This is one of those shows I watched two episodes of on fansubs, rejected for being goofy and stupid, then heard nothing but rave reviews of on blogs and decided to buy the DVDs. I ended up loving them, although there are still the occasional cringe-inducing moments, like the psychic baby thing on Naska.
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Top Gun



Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 4828
PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 2:34 pm Reply with quote
I generally enjoyed the TV series, but the one big problem I had with it was how frequently it jumped to different times and/or places. It felt like every time a particular setting or grouping of characters was really getting established, events would conspire to whisk the narrative away somewhere else. I don't know if the original manga was like that, but it wound up leaving me feeling mostly apathetic toward many of the characters, because there wasn't enough time spent to get to really know them. If the anime was twice as long at 50 episodes, and had spent more time fleshing out each of its segments, I think I would have bought into it more. And as for the ending, well...spoiler[when you pull a literal Rocks Fall Everyone Dies with most of the main cast for no good reason, and then set up that complete psycho Tony as the Mu's new leader], I'm not going to like it too much. At any rate, I did get enough enjoyment to buy Bandai's bare-bones releases; I think they also put it out as a single complete series Anime Legends set, which might be a bit easier to track down.

(It's also interesting to hear that Soldier Blue played a much greater role in the series than he did in the original manga. He was probably my favorite character in the whole thing, so I'm glad he got that expanded part.)
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GVman



Joined: 14 Jul 2010
Posts: 731
PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 2:40 pm Reply with quote
I don't think I've started watching an anime before only to learn there's a manga behind it. I usually assume that's the case from the get-go. With JoJo's, I started with chapter 1 of part 1. Really, I'm more apt to read manga than watch anime; that's why I usually check first. It feels like you see more when you read five volumes of manga in one sitting, rather than watch five episodes of anime in one. I usually assume adaptations are quite a bit worse.

Although, with Saint Seiya and Fist of the North Star, I did start with their manga and later move to the anime because the scans ran out. However, FotNS' scans later caught up to the old ones, and I convinced myself to go on and buy those overpriced volumes of StS before they shot up in price; I may have spent $110 on two volumes of manga, but that's quite a bit cheaper than they are now!
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sakurahitagi



Joined: 12 Jan 2014
Posts: 73
PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 5:50 pm Reply with quote
I've only read the manga but I'll have to check out the film and TV show at some point. I blind bought the manga after hearing Vertical wasn't going to print anymore and I enjoyed it so much. I love a good science fiction series and the art was great.
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katscradle



Joined: 05 Jan 2013
Posts: 469
PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 7:04 pm Reply with quote
I saw the Terra movie when I was a young child before I knew much at all about Japanese animation or comics. It was probably another decade I want to say before I really delved into the history of manga and learned about some of the fabulous women artists like Takemiya. Years after that too when Vertical began putting out the manga. I was thrilled to read the original story since I remembered parts of the movie from my childhood. I think it is one of those comics that someone would be hesitant to put down if they had all of it in front of them at once. I've watched some of the TV series too. But, it didn't interest me as much. Maybe I'm just too nostalgic.
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kailegh



Joined: 09 Jan 2009
Posts: 66
PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 7:53 pm Reply with quote
I'm in complete agreement dubbing Keiko Takemiya as the most fabulous 49er xD Also, I've been holding in my Terra E thoughts for a while, so I'm just going to try to let it all out as condensed as possible sans-spoilers.
Basically, I think each version, the manga, movie, and anime, have flaws, but combined, they're perfect. These are all personal opinions, but, for example, I feel like Jomy in the anime was too soft and not a strong enough leader. But in the movie, Jomy was a great leader, though occasionally a little too callused (or at least in terms of his movie relationship with Karen & Tony). And in the manga, he's perfect. Keith as an antihero was fantastic in the manga & the movie, but there reached a certain point in the anime where he went full blown Third Reich all while pycho-grinning (and I understand that his relationship with Matsuka was complex, but in the anime it's just 100% abuse and it's awful). Karen is another character I loved in the movie, but sort of fell flat in the series. But the series has the expanded roles of Swena & Jomy's parents (& a Serge cameo!!) going for it. The epilogue for the series was even better than the epilogue in the manga, imo. I could go on, but my point is: read/watch everything! Then piece your favorite bit's together.
Or, you know, read the manga like Mike suggested. Out of all the versions, it is the one that's closest to being perfect. u v u

[Edit] Also, if anything I wrote is too much of a spoiler, let me know & I'll block it...
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zawa113



Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 7358
PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 10:42 pm Reply with quote
I, too, have experience all three versions. I say the 2007 series is hands down my favorite though, I think it expanded in all the right places and even the end pacing problems don't lessen the fantastic expansion of Seki Ray Shiroe and Naska. I also think any added characters in the 2007 series were quite useful, I like that Jomy's girl childhood friend stuck around more and the guy imported from Kaze to ki no Uta (which has a snowball's chance in hell of getting licensed, sadly) was well used too.
For me, the movie, while trying its darndest, just rushes too many things. Impressive for the time, maybe, but wasn't They Were Eleven made around the same time based on another 49er story? And didn't the director of They Were Eleven inexplicably go on to direct the god-awful hilarious gems that are Cipher and Genma Wars? Ok, that was off topic. But yeah, the movie felt like a cliffnotes version to me.
The manga is quite good too, but after seeing the TV first and where it expanded, it felt a bit rushed in some places. But man is it worth it to experience that one too for the completely different final third. I do like what kailegh said, together they combine to make something near perfection, hadn't thought of it that way, but I like it.

But yeah, I've no regrets going with all three, they're all good. I remember one time at my place my friend said she might be interested but wasn't quite sure, so in goes the first disc and she goes home and buys it, hooray!

As for something that made me check out all of it, Astro Boy indeed! But I started with the awesome GBA game Astro Boy: Omega Factor, notable for being made by Treasure, being one of the few good licensed games of its time, having a better handheld version than Sonic Team developed console version, having a ton of other Tezuka character cameos (making me seek those out too), and actually making my game experience slowdown (or else it was meant to do that, I can't figure how else that happens on a cartridge game). I think I went to the 2003 series most logically next, the game was made for that series after all, and it got a good review on here. I also went for the 1980 series, cheating over to fansubs on youtube for the true first two episodes (I had to watch 1980s in sub, couldn't stand the dub, also that totally 80s guitar riff at the end of the 1980 OP is awesome). I think [adult swim] was still airing the 1960s series, I'm still not a huge fan. But then I did eventually get all of the manga too, so it's all good! I like how, between all the versions I've seen/read/played, there's like 6 different origin stories that all appear to be canon (I think the manga must've had 3 at least). Not common for manga. And like I said, Omega Factor made me interested in tons of other Tezuka things, I'd love to see Three-Eyed One, Rainbow Parakeet, Big X, and tons of others over here. I think I saw the 2009 movie too, but I honestly can't remember it was so damn forgettable. It had Nic Cage in it? Maybe? Oh and I even got a 2003 series Astro Boy wall scroll, yay!

For which one I liked the best? Well unlike To Terra, I don't have a clear favorite. I think the 2003 had the best origin story for sure when it was finally revealed (the manga had second best with the grasshopper people thing), probably because it packed the most emotion. The 2003 series also used Dr. Tenma the best. In 1980, he was pretty much out after two episodes. 1980s had overall better episodic stories I think. Sure, some 2003 ones really stand out as excellent, some 1980s ones were boring kids trapped on a bus thing, but it also wasn't afraid to kill one-offs (like spoiler[Denkou, who survived the 2003 series, and Nuka, who always seems to have to die]. Also, the 1980 set has a sub, very useful. The 2003 one was alright (but dear Celestia, Shunsaku Ban's voice was argh). The early manga chapters are pretty sucky, not gonna lie. They were mostly shoved at the end of the Dark Horse release (based on a publishing in order of Tezuka's favorites). But the good stories were really good and it's cool to see his story telling evolve over the series. And of course the game! Cameo land! And really fun, definitely a good place to start all Tezuka imo, it's where I came from. But between all three of them, even the few identical stories feel unique, there's very little rehash it would seem (not counting uber popular things like world's strongest robots arc that was used as the basis for the Pluto manga, but 1980 and 2003 do them quite different. I did find it odd that the 2003 series pretty much ignored North and Mont-Blanc but uses them as mini bosses in the Omega Factor game, but the focus on Pluto is quite good actually). Same thing for Black Jack that I'm now going through. The OVA, new TV series, and manga, it's an idea that lets you make pretty well infinite stories and I'm glad that's what seems to be happening. I guess I just need to check out Jetter Mars at some point then?

And for an author in general, Fumi Yoshinaga is like potato chips. Try stopping at one series, you can't! You'll need them all!
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agila61



Joined: 22 Feb 2009
Posts: 3213
Location: NE Ohio
PostPosted: Sun Apr 06, 2014 11:35 pm Reply with quote
I think it was the movie version that I vaguely recall watching via Netflix back when I was keeping the post office busy sending those discs out to me and back.

But Youtube nothing, I want Aniplex of America to put the TV series up on Crunchyroll with one of their The Americas Plus South Africa licenses, with Aniplex of Japan matching it on Daisuki to get it out to as many regions as possible.
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configspace



Joined: 16 Aug 2008
Posts: 3717
PostPosted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 1:44 am Reply with quote
Quote:
Of course, the 2007 TV Toward the Terra is the one that's starting to slip out of sight, in terms of availability. Bandai Entertainment pumped out spare, subtitled-only 2-disc sets in their latter days, but the prices are starting to creep up on those

There is also the Anime Legends complete set version. Rightstuf has just a handful left and those may be the only copies available anywhere.
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fuuma_monou



Joined: 26 Dec 2005
Posts: 1860
Location: Quezon City, Philippines
PostPosted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 3:16 am Reply with quote
Yeah, Telesuccess's English dubs usually leave something to be desired, in marked contrast to how good most of their Tagalog dubs are. I think the cast members who only do anime English dubs (as opposed to the ones who mostly do Tagalog dubs) primarily work as radio DJs; i.e., they're picked for being able to sound American rather than being able to act. Used to be they'd get theater actors for stuff like the Philippine English dub of Voltes V.

Anyway, I still haven't seen the movie. Should probably get around to watching the TV series subtitled. Been a long time since I read the manga, but I recall enjoying it a lot.


Last edited by fuuma_monou on Mon Apr 07, 2014 6:35 am; edited 1 time in total
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invalidname
Contributor



Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 2485
Location: Grand Rapids, MI
PostPosted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 6:17 am Reply with quote
Quote:
Toward the Terra, which can be easily had in manga form in three 300-page volumes from Vertical under its faithfully-translated-from-Japanese title To Terra…

Maybe not that easily. Vertical's editions went out of print a few months back when Takemiya terminated her contract with them. Last year at Anime Central, Ed from Vertical was burning off To Terra… and Takemiya's other title, Andromeda Stories for $5/volume (that's where I got the latter, FWIW).
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DavidShallcross



Joined: 19 Feb 2008
Posts: 1008
PostPosted: Mon Apr 07, 2014 7:08 am Reply with quote
A whole article devoted to Toward the Terra, and no mention of Slan?
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