Hi I'm Dranzerstorm
You may remember me as a regular contestant on the caption battle contest.
Welcome to Retro Retrospective, my world dedicated to the old guard of the Otaku world; expect some reviews of the old & obscure, and in-depth geeky knowledge with the occasional top ten and I now have a logo.
Little info about me
Well I'm British and I'm in to all things animated and nostalgia.
I've grown up with every cartoon going and have watched hundreds of anime.
Oh and to answer a question I was asked once, no I don't wear glasses in real life, I would wear Loke's sunglasses though.
To move on from unique art styles and considering I covered a Samurai in the Walk of Fame, lets move on to Sword Styles. Rules this time that I'm sticking with just swords not other kinds of blades or light sabers. Of course Erza earns extra points for style
10. Kenshin Himura from Rurouni Kenshin
It seems weird to begin with such a common looking style but considering the fact that he began as a cold hearted killer and became a no killing badass with a reverse bladed sword does turn a few heads especially from the likes of his enemies.
9. Yoh Asakura from Shaman King
At it's strongest, Yoh's oversoul can turn into a giant Samurai Sword which seems to have rocket boosters. It's so big that you can threaten giants with it.
8. InuYasha from InuYasha
Although InuYasha is better at the whole bigger is better argument with Tessaiga, a sword that would make the Bleach cast jealous, this sword comes in many textures including Dragon Scales and Diamond.
7. Mifune from Soul Eater
One of my personal favorite styles is Mifune's, using several swords stuck in the ground and a deep understanding for spacial awareness, Mifune can attack with all the swords in any battle situation.
6. Kuchiki Byakuya from Bleach
Choosing just one of the hundreds of sword styles in Bleach was a job in itself but Senbonzakura wins due to it's execution, style and the fact that you're essentially being killed by cherry blossom petals.
5. Erza Scarlet from Fairy Tail
One look at the above picture tells you that "you are going to die" in a very awesome way. But out of all of Erza's armory the Heaven's Wheel wins hands down. Just look at it!
4. Roronoa Zoro from One Piece
For a show that redefines the term "Pirate" it's unusual that the only pirate looking character Zoro is not even a pirate to begin with. Come on, he wields three swords one of which is between his teeth and he certainly makes the most of it.
3. Saber from Fate/Stay Night
For a while we don't actually see her sword until she goes full power and uncovers Excalibur, that's not to say it's bad, to be able to fight with an invisible sword is very useful until you stab yourself with it by accident.
2. Masamune Date from Sengoku Basara
Three swords are cool, six swords made to look like claws is epic and Masamune makes a point of going all out against any opponent, who says the Sengoku period has to be accurate, why can't he ride a horse with motorcycle handle bars and tail pipes.
1. Killer Bee from Naruto
But I have to say, I still can't work out how Killer Bee's sword style works but after using it in the games and seeing it in action, it's easily the most impressive sword style I've ever seen. Pity his rapping needs work.
In the world of Anime it's easy to point out the anime art style which most of the time has just improved from the old days but not evolved but this list celebrates those who dared to be different and succeeded.
10. Hetalia Axis Powers
Style: Soft color tones that give the characters such a unique appearance & glow.
Although Hidekazu Himaruya's art style is better known in Hetalia, when used in a different story it's almost as if you're reading a painting.
9. Princess Mononoke
Style: Miyazaki Hand Drawn Style that rely on epic scenery.
There's a reason why Miyazaki is considered the Japanese Disney, all of his works rely on epic scenery which is entirely hand drawn and Mononoke was his crowning achievement of this.
8. Redline
Style: Strong color scheme similar to pop art relying on exaggerated animation.
7 years and 100,000 hand made drawings show just how much effort this film took to make.
7. Pani Poni Dash
Style: Strong colors used in free flowing animation to demonstrate surreal & exotic imagery.
I'm not sure if this was the first title to use this type of art but Pani Poni Dash is certainly the best at using it. At times the quality fluctuates but it works well in the shows favor in order to show off some of the more surreal moments of the series. Negima has used this style as well.
6. Puella Madoka Magica
Style: Nightmarish abstract art which draws the viewers attention to the story.
Madoka Magica was ground breaking for the Magical Girl Genre by taking the happy parts and redesigning it into a nightmare world. Each witch resembles an abstract painting showing just how corrupt the mind can get.
5. Shamanic Princess
Style: 90s style at it's highest quality.
The short series Shamanic Princess really wanted to stand out and the 90s Anime style was set on strong color and high quality scenery and animation. I'd like to see how much money this cost to animate.
4. Panty & Stocking
Style: Western Cartoon Style based heavily on Adult Swim and Modern Cartoon Network.
If Americans can copy us then we can copy them and the result is the anarchy that is Panty & Stocking, a show that makes Excel Saga look normal.
3. Soul Eater
Style: Tim Burton Art Style.
It's been said in pretty much every review for Soul Eater that if Tim Burton ever did an anime then it would look something like Soul Eater and who can blame them when the moon is smiling with such a sinister grin.
2. Hyakka Ryoran Samurai Girls
Style: Wood Block Art Style using ink blots & brush strokes for action sequences.
An old printing technique used in Japan & China which became in the art world the official style of Japanese art. Samurai Girls is drawn in such a way that the animation looks as if it takes place on a wood block with ink blots & brush strokes to create unique action sequences.
1. Tiger & Bunny
Style: Evolution of the detailed art style used in Akira mixed with CGI.
The animation team behind Tiger & Bunny really worked for this series, it is one of the best anime worlds I've ever seen and really mixes well with the CGI parts. If someone took the time to reboot Akira it would look something like this.
In the next 48 hours I shall be adding a new world which will run alongside Retro Retrospective.
This one will cover the hundreds of great anime characters we've seen over the years entitled "Anime Walk of Fame"
Stay tuned for more info.
Lets face it Anime is weird and first impressions of any series makes for some funny stories, so today I'll be showing you some of my favorite stories over the many years of anime watching.
I do not count shows where I saw a trailer first.
10. "Hold on a minute, isn't that supposed to be Amy?"
This was my reaction to the Sonic the Hedgehog movie, having previously seen all the cartoons it came as quite a shock when the only female character is a catgirl, rather than Amy, Sally Acorn or a character that looked more animal like.
Significance: My first encounter with a Catgirl and the video trailer of Dirty Pair Flash led me into the anime world.
9. "Rave Master wasn't that good, there is no way on earth this will be good"
My sister first informed me of Fairy Tail and this was my reaction but thanks to natural curiosity I ended up watching possibly the worlds greatest anime.
Significance: I owe a number of shows a re-watch with Rave Master on top of that list.
8. "That's supposed to be a manga art style? it will never last"
Yet sadly Bleach is still going and while it started good has since remained a franchise zombie over a year after it's end was announced.
Significance: Taught me that it's not a good idea to collect a long series.
7. "I don't follow what's going on but the giant combat robots look awesome"
This was my opinion of Gundam Wing during Cartoon Network's promotional clips of episode 1 & 2. I didn't understand what the characters were saying but screw that there is a giant robot with a beam scythe.
Significance: I ultimately declared Transformers as utter rubbish.
6. "Okay we have transgender orange ninjas and lazily choreographed fights"
What I thought of Naruto after seeing a couple of scenes in an AMV, but it wasn't until I saw Rock Lee vs Gaara that Naruto became awesome.
Significance: Dragonballz had finally been surpassed.
5. "We have a guy in a suit, a pointy nosed man with a catapult, a guy who can stretch his limbs, a guy with three swords, one of which is in his mouth and we have a girl to make up the bunch; oh and a ship is somehow plummeting down a water slide; is this about pirates or do these characters just travel on a ship?"
Another show I first saw as an AMV, and yes to someone whose grown up on the Captain Hook school of piracy, it didn't look like what it really was.
Significance: Stereotyping is not required for a good series.
4. "That was hilarious, what the hell did I just watch?"
Try and describe episode 1 of Excel Saga with nothing to go on but the box art. Go on give it a try, film your reaction for more effect.
Significance: I seem to be immune to weird now.
3. "Wait a minute did Washu do what I think she just did?"
One show I watched a lot with my older sister was Tenchi Muyo and being older and wiser meant she was far more well informed than I was so she showed me some scenes cut from the Cartoon Network broadcast and.....
Significance: First realized this anime stuff is not for kids.
2. "I want that ice cream, the one with the orange balls with stars on" & "Why is there two versions of the same character on this video?"
Back in the 90s on regular holidays to Spain, Dragonballz was broadcasting and it never clicked in my young head that the image I was looking at was Goku & Gohan and not two Gokus. I never did get Dragonball ice cream, no longer exists now.
Significance: Toss up between this and number 1 as my first ever anime experience.
1. "There is a giant Panda throwing buckets & kettles at me which somehow causes me to transform between color schemes and movement, after collecting certain items a girl runs into me and the level is complete, there is a portrait with an unusual art style and the next level begins"
What I just described is a Ranma 1/2 game on the Gameboy, I've owned a Gameboy since 1992 and I'm convinced it still works. One of my games was a Ranma 1/2 game on a flash card which at the time were sort of legal in Europe but not so much anymore.
Significance: Understood the existence of Japan and it's products.
So those are just some of the stories from a lifetime of anime, I would love to hear some more stories, so don't be afraid to post comments.
Time for another OVA, this time we have the Shinesman.
Matsumoto is a young businessman ready to start a new job, but when he applies to join a new trading company he becomes the red ranger in a super sentai team along with the colors Moss Green, Grey, Sepia & Salmon Pink. (Look at those colors, you'd think if you were a super hero you'd choose colors that ugly?) The peace is broken when aliens (convenient evil villains who disguise themselves as a rival company) attack the city.
If you haven't guessed by now, Shinesman is a Super Sentai spoof series taking away the teenagers and replacing them with businessmen.
Although Matsumoto is fairly straight forward for a lead and hero but looking at the others, we've got quite a bunch of characters.
Moss Green Ranger Hayami is a flirt, who we find out later is dating Turkish Twins.
Grey Ranger Yamadera is obsessed with his car, which is a Grey Montage as he calls it, so obsessed that he's in tears while his car is being serviced, like a toddler watching their favorite stuffed animal in the washing machine. Believes the color grey to be a "Regal Manly Color"
Sepia Ranger Ono is a proud parent of a little girl who he buys a stuffed fish for.
And finally Salmon Pink Ranger Hidaka, the only female of the team, hates being referred to as babe, frequently bursting into little rage moments crushing poor innocent coffee cans.
Our villains are a stuck-up Prince and his adviser, along with the Prince's younger cousin Shiina, who learned about how to defeat the Shinesman by copying scenes from the Greatman Show. (A show within a show basically)
And finally the team's manager Sakakibara is basically a big kid in a sexy woman's body, who clearly wants kids considering how gooey eyed she gets over Matsumoto's little brother.
With only two episodes to work with, we quickly see how much effort was made to place in as many gags as possible, something that the dub takes full advantage of and succeeds. Even a simple business card greeting looks awesome and predates Phoenix Wright by at least half a decade.
The gags get even better the more you watch, at one point Shiina accidentally traps herself inside a Godzilla costume uttering the greatest dub line since Twin Signal's "Lake full of Sea" Shiina: I'm gonna die in a Godzilla suit
It gets better when you have attacks like Business Card Cutter and Tie Pin Bomb, you just can't help but smile when the heroes themselves complain about their weapons.
Credit where credits due, it may not have created much impact on it's initial release especially when the creator is a Yaoi specialist, but holds the same kind of legacy Dragon Half has, being produced and marketed as a gag series more so in the west where parody humor is better appreciated, although some praise should be saved for Haim Saban for bringing Power Rangers to the west in the first place, which made it easier for Shinesman to succeed.
Final Verdict: This series is not only my favorite OVA but one of my top ten favorite anime of all time. (No that list isn't ready yet) Definitely find some time to watch it, you won't regret it.
