I'm back from my run at the 2013 Gemucon convention in Nottingham, UK.
I only need one good night's sleep before I start posting proper again, four hours sleep and traveling back don't mix with three nights of drinking and partying, big spending on more Anime and playing pretty much every games console possible.
Stay tuned for a feature on the convention itself and some more anime reviews.
Writer's Block, I will put a stop to you right now
Let it be said, that I'm not some critic that only picks shows that are so obscure that only the bare minimum have seen, so here's a treat for you guys.
This time it's Hanna-Barbera's most awesome show, Swat Kats.
The story goes that while on a routine mission as part of an enforcers squad in the Air Force, Chance Furlong & Jake Clawson accidentally cause massive amounts of damage to their own headquarters in pursuit of a criminal, despite not being there fault. They are court marshaled and forced to spend their community service in a military junkyard to pay off the damages, this proves to be more ideal as they then build their own fighter jet out of thrown away military parts. Disguising themselves under the nicknames T-Bone & Razor, they become vigilantes to Megakat city fighting off huge Godzilla like monsters and evil super villains that are usually saved for comic strips.
Originally created by two Canadians and syndicated by Hanna Barbera for Cartoon Network, Swat Kats gained instant success under the same banner as the likes of Batman the Animated Series & X-Men as part of the edgier early 90s era that created some of the best cartoons since the Golden Age.
Hanna Barbera barely survived the 80s as they struggled to sell their cartoons to the right audience but taking a chance on something edgier restored faith in the duo but Cartoon Network had other ideas, Swat Kats was the last series produced by Hanna Barbera that gained the same popularity as many of it's earlier franchises even to the point where it was the highest grossing cartoon of 1994, however the What-a-Cartoon project ended plans to extend the series further and Hanna Barbera were made to work on the What-a-Cartoon project as their last official work before their deaths in the early 00s.
It was a shame as the show was cancelled before it officially finished and remains to this day one of the most awesome shows of all time.
The idea of a fighter jet with custom missiles fighting monsters and villains was incredibly groundbreaking and a lack of executive meddling (Mostly) made sure that the themes they were aiming for were kept, after a while you over look the fact that you're watching cats and enjoy what it has to offer which is always a plus for any series that uses anthropomorphic animals.
It would be years before something like this was repeated again but in some cases like the horribly flawed Loonatics Unleashed, it's probably best not to try too hard.
Everyone has seen them at least once, even if you don't want to, they are the long running series that still entertain us long after the original concept became out of date, but by this point they probably should call it quits, so today I'll be showing the top 10 Animation franchise that should end.
This covers anime & cartoons, also to make it more fun I'll be putting in the year that each series started, so lets begin
10. Futurama - 1999
After being cancelled in 2003, most people assumed it would never come back but good news everyone, it did comeback in 2008. The only problem is, no one cares, in fact none of the new episodes are that memorable, so maybe it should've stayed cancelled.
9. Family Guy - 1999
Another show that got cancelled and reinstated but this show fared a little better than Futurama, but these days the jokes have gone from funny to down right stupid, South Park has been around longer and doesn't have any trouble with this as it offends everyone and is self aware that the animation is a crude showing of said victim and shouldn't be taken seriously, Family Guy cannot do that anymore and suffers as a result.
8. Pokemon - 1997
These days following Ash Ketchum seems like a chore; the franchise has seen varying degrees of fortune equivalent to the stock market and very much like the real life stock market is in permanent free fall with the only hope being it's successor (X & Y Series) to restore it's good name.
7. Naruto - 2000
What started as a charming series of ninja battles has turned into one of the most infamous anime of all time, the strain of keeping this series going is starting to show as the flashbacks seem to last forever, (we've had four in the last year) the so called big secrets revealed were worked out years ago and even a death of a certain character is less tragic, more WHAT! WHY!
6. Spongebob Squarepants - 1999
I'm starting to notice a trend here that most of these seem to have been made all around the same time but that's not entirely true, the later ones are much older. I have to wonder who this show is aimed at now; I can see why it's popular but if recent episodes are anything to come by, I'm starting to think that the show has been moldy for some time. A more terrifying thought is that according to the creator, Spongebob is 26 years old, that's right he's supposed to be the same age as me. I feel really insulted by that.
5. Transformers - 1984
Please end this franchise; stop making films, stop making horrible CGI cartoons, stop making toys and realize that the concept of the same two factions fighting each other in every single retelling of this tired story is no longer fun.
4. Scooby-Doo - 1969
This is the oldest franchise on this list, what started as a groundbreaking show about crime solving teenagers and their dog, has become the biggest zombie of the animation world, at times Scooby-Doo has had several bouts of identity crisis with Get-A-Clue and some of the more random movies skewing the formula, and urban legends are being reduced to dust with the Mystery Inc series destroying what little it has left to offer which seems to be what Warner Bros is good at these days.
3. Bleach - 2002
I've never known a series to go into such obscurity that they literally are making it up as they go along, at this point I've given up trying to follow anything it comes up with, to make things worst this franchise was earmarked for ending over a year ago, why hasn't it ended yet?
2. The Simpsons - 1987 (From the very first short)
I've come to hate the Simpsons in recent years with the writing being so stupid that I can't possibly enjoy the episode, there have been episodes so bad that I question why it was even aired, or why Matt Groening is allowing his creation to be seen in such a way. It's been on so long that they had to change the canon because apparently kids these days would consider the series too old if they found out that their favorite characters were born in the 80s. God I wish I could swear right now.
1. Dragonball - 1984
But this franchise wins the unwanted award of having it's story read so many times that I could recite every scene, but looking back, the story is terrible. Yeah Toriyama is a good artist and can do a good fight scene but his story telling is terrible. Juvenile humor, extending scenes for longer than it needed to be, unfunny jokes and allowing his series to become such a zombie that Vegeta has been reduced to doing silly dance moves.
(The youtube video containing that has been taken down)
It's not entirely Toriyama's fault but he should take responsibility for his creation and end it before we learn that Goku has a sister.
So that's your lot, if I've learned anything from this is that I worry for the health of Fairy Tail, My Little Pony & Adventure Time as they continue to entertain the masses.
Let it be said that you can learn just as much from an anime as you can anything else, so today I'll be reviewing Bottle Fairy, this won't be like the Snow Fairy Review.
The story revolves around four fairies named Kururu, Chiriri, Sarara & Hororo who live with a college student simply referred to as Sensei-San; the fairies are learning about Japanese culture with a little help from nosy neighbor Tama-Chan. There are 13 episodes that cover all 12 months on the calender along with a bonus final episode. (No Spoilers, Sorry)
Easy to follow premise, it's just your basic learning show and it is done really well; you feel at home with these fairies if your used to the likes of Lucky Star, K-On & Azumanga Daioh which also feature just a group of girls as the main cast.
A large part of the humor comes from the misinterpretations of the cultures they try to imitate, but it's entirely innocent and surprisingly human which I'll explain in a moment, the dub is passable but doesn't do the show justice as Japanese culture doesn't always translate well into English.
As for the fairies themselves you have a typical mix of female tropes, the happy one, the shy one, the tough one & the weird one; they all compliment each other nicely and create a good balance, no one really stands out as the main character so it's nice to see that the others aren't just there to support the lead.
Now to explain the human bit.
Bottle Fairy could easily pass for a young kids show as the content is easy for a child to understand but not really for anyone younger, the fairies role-playing isn't much different to playing house in real life, and their lack of understanding holds a certain innocence to it much in the same way an actual child learns a bit more each time they play, and that's where the show is at it's strongest. Very few forms of media for children show characters going through the learning experience, in fact I accuse the industry of making their characters too perfect with Nickelodeon & Disney the biggest offenders.
Final Verdict: It's a nice little series, it doesn't out stay it's welcome and you feel a little happier knowing that the fairies will succeed, just make sure you watch the subbed version for the best experience.
Having re-watched Kung-Fu Panda I've come to realize how silly the concept sounds but the film is still awesome, so this time here are the top 10 Anime Characters you should never underestimate.
Rules are that if there is more than one person in the franchise I'll judge the group instead of certain individuals.
This doesn't look like a Commander of a Nuclear Submarine
10. Yurika Misumaru from Martian Successor Nadesico
A ditz will always be a ditz but Yurika makes up for much of her short falls by being tactically gifted, the fact that the Nadesico survived it's voyage is testament to the abilities of it's captain.
9. Every Gundam Pilot from the Gundam Franchise
You'd feel pretty stupid if you came back to your commander and say you've been shot down by a kid, although in the Gundam Universe if you did that exact same thing, you'd be given a medal for bravery.
8. L from Death Note
An insomniac who sits funny, eats cake all day and looks more like death than the actual death gods; worked out who Kira was straight away.
7. Sunako Nakahara from The Wallflower
Sunako's position as the loner into all things horror can instantly transform into a beautiful bad ass complete with entirely different art style to emphasize the change in emotions.
6. The Strawhats except Zoro from One Piece
If you ask an outsider to identify a pirate on a picture of the Strawhats crew, 100% of the time they'll pick Zoro as he's the only one who looks like a pirate despite not originally being a pirate at all. Those Bounties aren't just for show, they are entirely justified.
5. Negi Springfield from Negima
A 10-year old boy wizard in charge of a class of 31 teenage girls of various descriptions, can defeat vampires, high ranking wizards, samurai, demons and a hack character with a million cheat codes. (That's how Chisame described Jack Rakan)
4. Edward Elric from Full Metal Alchemist
He's short, very short, something he takes offense to on a regular basis but take off the red coat and you see the Automail arm and you'll know that this guy will take you down.
3. Simon from Gurren Lagann
When you start watching Gurren Lagann everyone will believe that Kamina is the main character until he suddenly dies. (Hardly a spoiler)
Simon has to pick up the pieces and after a Shinji moment not only takes Kamina's place but surpasses him, and here we thought we'd get another Shinji.
2. Teletha Testarossa from Full Metal Panic
She's a 16 year old with poor coordination, a childlike voice and behaves like a school girl. Yet she's the captain of a Nuclear Submarine! She dwarfs Yurika in military knowledge and is more capable than most of the Gundam cast.
1. Mitsukuni "Honey" Haninozuka from Ouran High School Host Club
Honey looks like a kid despite being the oldest of the group, he likes plush toys and cake, yet he's so strong that the rest of the world judges him as a weapon of mass destruction if he so much as release his full power.
Keep safe everyone.
