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.
Lets face it, cartoons these days are lousy, whether it's me getting older, a lack of ideas, nothing left to surprise me or just plain bad, but some manage to buck the trend and actually be so awesome that in some cases they become legendary. So here's a selection of the top ten best modern cartoons. The rules are that each show must have been created from 2007-Present day and must still be active on TV in any form and any nation, and the usual rule, I have to have seen it. So to begin. oooooohhhhhhhhh!
10. Phineas & Ferb
The enthusiasm for this series has died in recent years but it's still one of the most creative cartoons in recent years with an arrangement of catchy music and a Platypus in a fedora.
9. Dragons: Riders of Berk
While it maybe another Dreamworks cash-in cartoon, this show is based on my favorite Dreamworks film "How to Train your Dragon". With the same humor and humanism of the film this series is worth a watch.
8. Thundercats Reboot
The fans of the original are a hard lot to please to the point where they released both new and old action figures at the same time but the remake at the risk of being unpopular is actually more superior than the old series. The show benefits from modern storytelling and better art styles while the original continues to show it's age.
7. Ultimate Spiderman
I should hate this series but the humor and styling of comic group Man of Action, (Basically CLAMP for boys) really breath life into a franchise which at times has been incredibly boring and mediocre.
6. Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil
Finally a protagonist that looks awesome, has an awesome voice and doesn't become a cliche, even the bumbling sidekick is more of an actual sidekick than a cliche. Original ideas do still exist.
5. Adventure Time
What you say is what you get, and that's exactly what you get from Adventure Time, the most fun you can get from a boy and his dog you'll ever have. A few bold ideas and a nod to the fan culture of today, you'll be relieved that the next generation of kids will be awesome for watching this.
4. Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes
I have a strong pet peeve about pseudo anime art styles used in western cartoons but after seeing this I feel it can make things better. A strong emphases on action and the same charisma & character as it's counterpart film along with an awesome opening theme, the Avengers is the first super hero cartoon since Batman & X-Men to break the mold.
3. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
I didn't get it at first but after seeing a few episodes, it's become a must watch and all they had to do was not take itself too seriously and treat it's audience like humans rather than a bunch of gullible kids buying toys. It may have created some surprising results but none the less My Little Pony is the most fun you'll have watching a cartoon whether you're male or female.
2. The Amazing World of Gumball
Creating a surreal world that you won't question is a tough job and in all forms, Gumball should be terrible, but clever "British" comedy writing, a well selected voice cast and some of the worlds most unique characters make this the most creative show ever.
1. Regular Show
But nothing compares to how good Regular Show is. Fuse together Spongebob & Ren & Stimpy, take a dash of Beavis & Butthead and cook to the sounds of the 80s & 90s and you get a cartoon which appeals to my age group in both nostalgic value, weirdness and down right awesomeness that made many of it's predecessors a household name. A blue jay and a raccoon have never been so entertaining.
So there's the best cartoons list, I would do a worst list except it'll take me a long time to shift through the crap we got and trust me there's a lot of crap.
In this feature as a homage to the Oscars, I'll be discussing the one off American Anime Awards held back in 2007.
Held at New York Comic-Con back in 2007 the awards were presented by a number of ADVFilm actresses, the criteria covered every...
I mentioned once in one of my features that I found that Avril Lavigne was pretty shameless with promotions having inserted herself into graphic novel form in the terrible self indulgent "Make 5 Wishes" in which she appears as an imaginary friend to the protagonist Hana; the actual story itself makes for pretty grim and uncomfortable reading both in quality and content, and is the worst example of Original English Language Manga.
Avril's contribution doesn't stop there as she was involved with the music within the latest One Piece Movie singing cover songs of "How You Remind Me" by Nickelback and "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett. Whether it's a good idea to use such well known western talent instead of the onslaught of Japanese Pop Talent available is anyones guess, but an A-Grade powerhouse like One Piece shouldn't need much to be popular.
But it's not just Avril Lavigne who contributed to the anime world, Micheal Jackson used a number of anime clips notably from Zillion & Akira in his music video "Scream".
Most people are of course aware of Daft Punk's involvement in the industry as Leiji Matsumoto's "Interstella 5555" is essentially a visual representation of one of Daft Punk's Albums.
But the weirdest contribution comes in the form of a rejected project featuring controversial Russian Lesbian pop duo t.A.T.u
Yes the image is real, in 2004 an anime movie about t.A.T.u was green-lit entitled t.A.T.u Paragate, the details about the actual film are pretty sketchy but considering the reputation of the group and how anime was at the time, it was intended to be a Sci-Fi adventure film. However before the film could be finished, t.A.T.u had a huge falling out with their manager and the producers of the film. t.A.T.u didn't want to play lesbian anymore which solves that legend. The girls themselves also fell out with each other leading both of them into solo careers; the film was shelved never to see the light of day.
So that's the story of t.A.T.u's failed anime film and some references to other pop star related trivia. Stay tuned for an Oscar special.
And now for the Top 10 Best ADVFilms trailers, same rules as the last one and once again some honorable mentions.
DaiGuard - Because it looked awesome even though it isn't.
Steam Detectives - Because great music sells even if your wearing giant buttons on your jacket.
Pretear - Because it looks very attractive for a show about wearable bishounen.
10. 801TTS Airbats
The most awesome piece of music you'll never find. A showcase of over enthusiastic guitar work over scenes of Aerial Displays and pretty pink smoke.
9. Dirty Pair Flash
I'm very biased with this one as this was the trailer that launched me into anime, a showcase of high octane action with under-dressed women and daft comedy was very influential on my mind as a young pre-teen.
8. Super GALS
This is one of the funniest trailers I've ever seen, high energy is always the key to a good show and Super GALS shows all of it. Not bad for a series that is basically "Clueless" in anime form.
7. Puni Puni Poemy
This trailer starts with an explanation that they tried to fit as much content that would pass the censors as possible but then gives up and says "Fine just show the scenes that won't get us sued". See ADV does have a sense of humor, so as to why they tried so many trailer commentaries, I do not know.
6. Gunsmith Cats
You don't see any footage from the show, all you see is a showcase of art featuring two girls with guns, grenades and a Shelby Cobra set to some jazz music. You may not know anything but you already want to find out more.
5. Kino's Journey
Sometimes commentary does work when applied correctly and the slice of life drama Kino's Journey did just that. It summarizes Kino's Journey into statements that describe exactly what happens backed up by the correct music.
4. Princess Nine
Another series that correctly uses commentary, this time in a style that has been used by popular movie trailers for generations. Commentary flowing with the correct scenes made this series about a women's Baseball team seem like something excellent.
3. Dragon Half
Everyone knows the sound of the Tamago Song. A showcase of hilarious slapstick played to a song about eggs quickly became the cult hit that everyone wanted back in the 90s. This series only became a cult hit because of this trailer.
2. Evangelion Series
Yes it appeared on the worst list as well but this trailer made the good list for using the Beethoven song "Ode to Joy". Always play this trailer loud and proud. If you don't Shinji will cry and that's more painful to watch.
1. Full Metal Panic
But if you want a perfect trailer that gets you in the mood for the series then it's Full Metal Panic. It starts off eerie with a naked Kaname Chidori floating through some kind of subspace to a high pitched chime which then breaks into dramatic mecha combat featuring a scene of helicopter wrestling, (That's Awesome) we then fall into a selection of light-hearted moments ending in a huge Sonic Boom which displays the title. This is the most awesome two minute trailer you'll ever see.
And that's your lot, it's sad that ADVFilms have gone but some of it's re-licensed products still carry the same spirit.
If you've been around the Anime World for as long as I have you may know about ADVFilms, a company that made sure that every anime was available to us or die trying, which eventually did kill them but that's beside the point. The core part of a typical ADVFilms license was a huge array of trailers attached onto the VHS or DVD which served as a small distraction to get popcorn or an equally edible snack much like trailers before a film. This list and and a 2nd list coming later on showcases the best and worst of ADVFilms trailers. Going against normal rules I don't have to have seen the anime only the trailers count on both lists, so lets begin.
Dishonorable Mentions: Getbackers - Because being told it'll be my favorite anime series is patronizing.
Comic Party Revolution - Because a talking fish with a cigar doesn't persuade me that this crap is worth watching.
Wedding Peach - Because it's just hilariously bad at how it rips off Sailor Moon.
10. Evangelion Platinum
ADVFilms spent far too much money marketing this series and having Asuka's awful dub voice advertise it doesn't persuade me to spend anymore on this franchise.
9. Zone of the Enders
There's far too much going on in this trailer to make any sense of what this series is about.
8. Sister Princess
Showcasing terrible dubbing along with repeating the words "Big Brother" doesn't really persuade me to buy this crap.
7. DNAngel
Before we even get going the main character has already failed in his love confession which is then followed later on by a cheesy chat up line. Not really hardcore entertainment.
6. Azumanga Daioh
Having Miss Yukari narrate the entire trailer in English almost made me not want to watch this series. Thank god there was a second trailer.
5. Noir
It starts off okay but then we get a snippet of the theme song showcased as an annoying broken record. Noir deserves better than that.
4. Jinki Extend
"I moved house to build my beloved model robots and then be told I have to pilot a Jinki" A title like Jinki Extend sounds dirty and the dialogue just sounds horrible. How could this pass for a license?
3. Yumeria
Another entry in the school of poor dub and repeating words, this time it's the word "Pervert" and they say it EVERY SINGLE TIME!!!!! And that's just the trailer.
2. Rahxephon
How do you showcase a series that the company is convinced can take on Evangelion? Start with a scream from a man and showcase a bunch of mecha that look like blow-up sex dolls. I should've used my fail face instead of Miss Yukari.
1. Gravion
An example of how to miss the point completely. Gravion was showcased as a deadly serious mecha series but anyone who has seen pictures or even the series itself knows that the color scheme, cheesy music and ecchi content no where near resembles the trailer we got.
So that's how not to preview an anime but stay tuned for the right way to preview an anime.
