OTAKON GUIDE: Part Two

Still not sure if I'm going, but here's some more tips and where to find cheap food.  If the video doesn't work click the link below:

http://youtu.be/OgYab3E_al4

OTAKON GUIDE: Where to Eat, Part One

So I may not get to Otakon this year, but for those of you who can go, I will be posting videos over the next few weeks on where to find food that is cheap and easy to get to...as well as some con tips.  Hope this is helpful!

Grave of the Fireflies

I had done a review on "Grave of the Fireflies" awhile ago, but I wanted to revisit on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor. Another film by Studio Ghibli, directed by Isao Takahata, is a very, very, very powerful movie about the aftermath of war in Japan after World War 2. WARNING: this movie is incredibly emmotional, even for us guys. If you don't tear up, or at least get a lump in your throat, then there is something very wrong with you...

The movie chronicles the plight of Seita (15 yo)and his younger sister, Setsuko (4yo) in the end days of the war with Japan. The anime starts with the death of Seita in a subway station: a janitor finds his body and pulls a small tin out of Seita's pocket, he throws it away when all he finds in it are ashes and dead fireflies. As the tin hits the floor, Seita's spirit emerges and he tells his story of what happened.

Seita's mother is burned in a bombing raid and dies shortly after the attack. Seita and his sister go to their aunt's house to find shelter. She reluctantly takes them in, considering them to be burden more than anything else...and lets the children know. At one point she convinces Seita to sell their mother's kimono for rice, the kimono is their tangible item of their mother, since the bombing raid burned down their home. After a series of clashes like this, Seita takes hi sister and they make a home in a cave...which they light up with captured fireflies. However, the next morning, they are all dead and Setsuko asks Seita about death and why did their mother died.

After awhile their food and money runs out. Seita is forced to steal from neighboring farms. But even then that is not enough; Setsuko grows weaker with malnutrition. Seita eventually goes back to the city, gathers together enough money and supplies for himself and his sister. He left Setsuko alone in the cave, promising to return with food, but she grows even weaker as he cooks it for her. You will need to watch the rest of the movie to see how it ends...keep the tissues nearby.

The movie is based on an autobiographical book by Akiyuki Nosaka. It is, in itself, a powerful read that I would recommend as well. Again, this is a very intense and heart-wrenching story, so be prepapred!

As I said before, I chose to revisit this anime because of the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor. It was a reflection for me, not only on that war, but the current wars going on around the world, and the almost untold stories of those who survive the armageddon, but are challenged by its afterrmath. While this is a hard movie to watch becuase of the content, I would say that anyone who would call themselves an anime fan MUST watch this outstanding film.

Lupin III:The Castle of Cagliostro

Sorry for the lateness...laptop crashed and new job going into full throttle (going to be a wine consultant if you can beleive that), anyway...as I said in my last post, I feel like I need to go out and watch new anime, or old-school anime that I don't normally watch. So I went out and watched Lupin III:The Castle of Cagliostro!

Originally released in Japan in 1971, it wqas released with subtitles in 1991...and then with english voice actors in 1992 to great success. The only criticism (and I didn't know about it until I did some intial reseearch on the movie)was that title music had been changed and edited to exclude kanji symbols that were in the beginning for the 1992 release.

Animation for this movie reflects the time it was created, late 70's thru the early 80's. Sorry, no CGI, this the real animation. What that means is that there is quite a few jumps in frame that wouldn't appear in today's productions. Still, if you understand that you are watching something old school, then you appreciate it more.

The plot is typical Lupin. He and Jingen are absconding with cash after robbing a casino in Monte Carlo. As they drive away, being chased by Zenigata (who else?), Lupin notices that the stolen cash is actually counterfeit and useless. As the two make their escape by throwing out the useless money from their getaway car, Lupin vows to take revenge on the counterfieters who make their base in the very tiny country of the Duchy of Cagliostro (population less than three thousand).

As they enter the tiny country, they come across a young girl in a wedding dress trying to escape from a bunch of criminals. Lupin, of course, coems to her aid and after an interesting chase scene (you just have to watch and suspend your disbelief) Lupin actually recognizes the girl. She is eventually captured and Lupin adds her rescue to his vow of revenge. Needless to say, she becomes central to the plot...and of course old man Zenigata plays into the whole thing very well.

This movie is a bit differnet than the series. Fujiko makes a small appearance, a little bit more than a cameo. And, she isn't a thief, but works for the CIA. Goemon makes an even smaller role, but really, you can't have a Lupin production without the whole gang!

All in all, this is a VERY good anime movie to watch. Also, it's a real movie, not somethign that lasts 80 minutes, or two or three episodes tied together and called a movie. This sucker is nearly two hours long at 110 minutes! But it is a fast-paced 110 minutes!

As a BTW, there was another reason why I decided to watch this movie. In the mid-eighties, at the height of arcade games...a type of arcade appeared briefly. It had joystck and a couple of buttons...but the visual action wasn't like your average video game. The visual was based on animation. It was placed on a laserdisc (precursor to the DVD) and at certain moments, the player would be asked to move a press a buttonof thier choosing...an incorrect action would result in the end of the game. One of these arcade games was called "Cliff Hanger" and used scenes from Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro, but called Lupin "Cliff" instead, and did not follow the plot of the movie precisely.

I used to play that game when I visited the arcades on the weekends as a kid....

At a loss for new anime...

So, now that FMA: Brotherhood is now over, and with one exception, adultswim and OnDemnad seem to be repeatign quite a few anime...I feel I must turn to Netflix or some other similar rental service for new anime. Durarara will be getting a review from me soon, but I feel that I need to expand my horizons. BTW, should any of you have any suggestions, PLEASE let me know!

I feel like I should pay more attention to mecha-anime. I've always enjoyed Patlabor and parts of the Gundam franchise. Also, I've begun to enjoy more "stranger" anime that doesn't really fit in any anime genre...like Baccano or Durarara. I think I should also explore more anime movies. I actually do NOT really watch that many feature-length anime...I have to be a big fan of the creator/director/writer/series to get me to watch it. Perhasp this is where I need to start my search anew....movies, mecha, the unusual...

I really don't want to have to involve myself with Naruto...oh, dear god, anything but that!

So, I've been watching the popular anime over the years. adutlswim used to be a start-off point for me....but I now know Cowboy Bebop, Death Note and Ghost in the Shell by heart now. I've also used conventions as a starting off point as well, watching totally new and random things. But while this past con season was a blast, I didn't walk away with any burning desire for any particular anime or manga,

Hmm, reflecting ont heidea that perhaps I should also go old-school. Check out Lupin moire seriously. Ranma 1/2 and Maison Ikkoku (loving the mangas). Disregard what little experience I have with the Gundam franchise and start at the very beginning (historical note: Gundam was created to sell a robot toy, but the anime did so well the toy producers re-organized the priority to the anime).

It's not that I no longer like what I've been watching...a lot of stuff dealing with "real-life" situation and romance of ALL types (I'll never give up Strawberry Panic!), as well as some action stuff. I feel like I need to expand. And expand I shall....

But I could use some suggestions!

TONIGHT'S PLAYLIST:

Sadly, multiply appears to no longer allow music uploads. But if you really want to know what I listen to as I write, just let me know!

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

!!!!!!!!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!

Ok, I'm going to talk about FMA: Brotherhood in a moment. If youhave not seen the last episode fo the series, or have missed some episodes along the way; STOP READING NOW!!!

You have been warned.











So, FMA: Brotherhood series is now complete. That means that adultswim is going to replay the hell out of it for the next two or three years or however long the contract says they can keep airing it. At the beginning of the series, like many FMA fans, I was hopeful and wary at the same time. It took me several episodes and I had to talk myself out of throwing up my hands in despair severeal times in the beginning.

However, it grew on me. The story and character changes are hard to adapt to when a reboot is done from the original version. The plot arch remained the same. Ed and Al lose parts of their bodies, or entire body, in the attempt to bring back their dead mother...which failed and caused the brothers to search for the Philosopher's Stone to get their bodies back. Several character and stroy points remained the same: Scar is out to kill every state alchemist he can find, the Fueher is King Bradley (an homonoculus), Wrath, Lust and company are the enemy and Col. Mustang and his cadre are also still around. And yes, Maes Hughes still dies....damnit.

The stroy point and characters start to change. We find out that the original homonuculus, Father, started the whole mess centuries before by tricking the boys' father into helping him. Teacher, is a love-smitten housewife, whose awesome line in FMA was bastardized from "pissed off" to "housewife" while wearing bathroom slippers. There's a whole other country involved; Shin. This country is a loose confederation of clans who send out representatives to figure out the secret to immortality; they are bad-ass martial arts fighters with their own version of alchemy. Maj. Armstrong gets a larger role in this series and does well with it, as does Havoc in the first part of the series. We are introduced to ANOTHER Armstrong sister, but instead of being cute and demure...she's hardcore and a General at the Briggs fort. There are so many differences at this point, it would be useless to list them all, so let's bop on to the end of the series, shall we?

In FMA, we are treated to a glimpse of Mustang's plan to tie up the Army while he and the brothers wage their last battle to prevent Central from being destoryed and turned into a Philosopher's Stone. We get to see Havoc go hardcare with a heavy machine gun and htat is all we get of the rebellion. In Brotherhood, Havoc isn't an active participant, but the rest are and you get to see a large scale attack on Central that lasts for several episodes and involves the use of a tank. Envy kills himself, the other homonoculi get beaten savagely by Mustang and the Greed/Prince of Shin combo (they share the same body) becomes a hero...moreover, Greed becomes a hero and dies satisfied...he's made friends. Father takes out the country, however, but he can't control the power and the survivors of the battle gang up on him with Ed delivering the final blow. Oh, over the course of two episodes, the brothers each sacrifice themselves for each other with the final outcome being, of course, they get their bodies back. Ed loses his ability for alchemy to get Al back.

We get a very sappy ending. An entire episode of a sappy ending. The boys' father dies at Trisha's grave, Ed conducts a retarded marrigage proposal to Winry. Both Ed and Al go in seperate directions to explore the world (opening up a new series or spin off possibilities). Mustang is blind in both eyes, but is an effort to redeem himself to the Ishballans. Havoc gets his spine fixed (oh yeah, halfway though the series he gets his back broken by Lust). And we are given, in the final ten seconds, a picture on the wall of the entire gang and we see that Winry and Ed have two kids, Al seems to be getting it on with one of the girls from Shin.

Deep breath.

I am not so much disappointed with the story, addition of new characters, changing of some of the regulars, but with how long and how clumsy it was told. It either went too fast, or took too long to make a point. The animation, despite my inital misgivings, was great, the English voice actors were great, I really liked the larger inclusion of the Armstrong family (especially the beautiful yet brutish additional sister), the story held great promise. The reboot, once I got past my love for FMA, held so much promise...but did not quite deliver the whole package.

And for those of you who enjoyed the subtle romance of Hawkeye and Mustang in FMA, I'm sure were as disappointed as I when it was merely implied at the nd of Brotherhood.

There were several smaller plot paths that I thought were good; the involvement of Shin, more of the boys father, the Armstrong family, Greed's own storyline (very, very good and ended well). There is much to like about this series. I DO reccomend watching it. But as an overall piece...it is lacking.

Interestingly, the current FMA movie is set in the timeline of Brotherhood. Those lucky few of us who got to see Fullmetal Alchemist: Sacred Star of Milos, were very much entertained. Whiel set up in Brotherhood, the movie is quite good and I hope you get to see it in the upcoming US theatrical release.

Sorry, no music tonight...sound card went out on me. Next time tho!

Otakon Recap (Sorry, it's late...)

Well...it's been almost two months since Otakon and nearly a month since my last post here.

SORRY!!! SORRY!!!
(on hands and knees bowing)

I normally do a recap per day on Otakon, but I relied more on video this time than I probably should have. Also, I actually stayed later than I normally do, cutting into upload time. It was that much fun this year and the Circulator hours expanded a little as well...

(feel free to skip the following paragraph)

So before I get into this year's recap, one item of house keeping. The schedule will change every other Thirsday, starting with this post. So the next post should go up on 10/6/11, I believe. I am now running 4 other vlogs, one uploads every day (at least until 11/1/11) which is simply a snapshot of my everyday life, another will be weekly on Tuesdays that has commentary but more or less related to food and cooking as well as The Unagi Observer. The last one is my oldest one, that has all the Otakon vids, bigsteveotaku...I ahve palns for that channel... So, I wanted to pull Anime out of the Tuesday rut so that I have a decent chance of actually beign on time with it again. Ok, enough of that, onto the recap!!!

Otakon was great this year! There was a lot to do and see so here's the lsitings fo stuff:

NEW ANIME (well, new to me):

"Sound of Sky" - This anime chronicles a young woman whose only desire in life to make music. The only problem is htat she is pretty bad at it. She is an orpahn in time where there was an incredibly long war, and she has joined the army to become a bugler to learn music. Buglers were used to announce orders by music to the troops. Most of the buglers appear to be young women. They are now in a state of cease-fire and she has gotten her first orders to join a unit that serves as the garrison for a small, out-of-the way town. The entire unit is made of women who try to teacher how to play music.

"Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos" - Based on the timeline of the "Brotherhood" series, the brothers investigate why a prisoner has escaped with just week sleft on his sentence. Their investigation takes them to the city of Milos where they get caught up in the beginnings of a revolution. I would add more, but I really don't wnat to spoil it for you. "Shambala" was great for me because I'm a history buff and it was interesting to see the interaction between the two realities. "Milos" is pretty darn good, and for those who have enjoyed the "Brotherhodd" series...you are going to be VERY pleased! Oh, the title song is done by ...l'Arc en Ciel! Also, kudos to Aniplex and Funimation for getting an english dub with all the main voice actors of the series done a MERE 4 WEEKS AFTER THE JAPANESE THEATRICAL RELEASE!!!! Lastly, the offical theatrical release in America will be in early 2012 and the DVD available in the spring of that year.

LIVE ACTION:

"Kamen Rider" - Umm, take a look at the previous post where I uploaded a vid about it from The Unagi Observer channel.

"Ip Man" - Hong Kong martial arts movie set in the early 1900's. It is a somewhat mythical re-telling of Bruce Lee's mentor. It tells how he created his school of martial arts and someof hte conflicts with outsiders and other schools within the area. The actor who plasy Ip Man is Donnie Yen. He plays Ip as a stately gentleman who is trying to balance his time as a master, teacher, businessman being there for his family. A lot of grreat stuff in this movie!!!

FAN PARODIES:

Finally! New parodies!!! "AMV Salad 5: Happy Meal" is brilliant and continues the tradition of "AMV Hell" for Otakon. "FMA Abridged; Episode 3" will bring tears of laughter to your eyes. And of course, no Otakon Fan Parodies would be complete without the everpresent, "Evangelion ReDeath: Sing a long version".

AMV CONTEST:

Normally, I would put up what I chose, but it was so close to the lsit of winners that I didn't bother. here's the listing of the winners:

Trailer/Parody:
Winner: Stupid AMV Title - Lucia Studios

Drama/Serious:
Winner: Deceiver - EimiJ7

Action:
Winner: Angels Made from Neon - SSGWNBTD

Romance/Sentimental
Winner: Maya and Company - Kireblue

Upbeat/Dance
Winner: AMV ja nai ka? (An Anime Music Squideo!) - Scintilla

Comedy & Winner/Best in Show: Evangelion 0.22 - Shinji does (Not) Mean Business - PixelBlended Studios

This year's AMV's were...ok. I believe they used a different system of choosing the contestents (could be wrong), but I watched the AMV Overload and felt that quite a few probably could have been finalists. Oh, and yet again, mine was not a finalist...but I think that is kind of to be expected...

FAVORITE OVERHEARD DISCUSSIONS:

Both took place while waiting for the FMA movie for close to 2 hours. First was the horrible and wonderful rendition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" by those waiting in line. I beleive the Saturday video has a small clip of this.

Second, was the conversation held between to fans fo the Final Fantasy franchise. We were in line, and the line formation was such that to my left was short, cute girl talking with a guy cosplayer on my right. I wish I could do the conversation justice but it literally lasted for close to 40 minutes and I was beginning to wonder if I was at an anime or gaming con. Talk about fandom! Since I have an active imagination, I could see them having a convention romance going...to be honest, it might've happened...

Oh, actually a third great moment...the guy selling water outide of the con...that dude is YouTube gold!

Ok, so there's your recap! Hope this entices you to come next year! Not sure what next time's subject will be, but I have a feeling "Brotherhood" is going to finish this upcoming Saturday...

TONIGHT'S PLAYLIST:

Click here to get the msuic from the Multiply mirror site and scroll down ot the music section-

http://bigstevegearhart.multiply.com/

"Pulling Mussels" - Squeeze
"Big Time Sensuality" - Bjork
"Youn Folks" - Peter, Bjorn & John
"Coma Girl" - Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros