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.
Now onto the companion list of 10 live action shows, I already did an exclusive British list so lets do the others.
Honorable Mention
Sesame Street
I'm bound by my rules on Pre-School shows and the fact that this has alot of animation as well as live action doesn't really make it a candidate on this list, however I will never say a bad word against this show.
10. Pee-Wee's Playhouse
A bizarre world from the mind of actor Paul Reubens, Pee-Wee's playhouse was the madcap adventure that was designed for kids with ADHD.
9. Are You Afraid of the Dark?
A surprise Canadian hit which managed to really scare you and while the safety filter was on and most of the stories ended in safety, the occasional darker ones would really catch you out and of course many jumped on that opening sequence.
8. Bill Nye the Science Guy
If you want your science lessons to be insanely awesome then Bill Nye has you covered, a fast paced comedy show full of song parodies and endless amounts of science to make your brains work overtime after schools.
7. Fresh Prince of Bel Air
Bit of a grey area as it travels the fine line between kids show and adult but I watched a lot more of this when I was younger rather than older. Watch a young Will Smith live it up with his rich Aunty and Uncle in Bel-Air. Time to make you feel old now. Will Smith is now older than Uncle Phil was in the show. To be honest Will Smith just doesn't age anyway.
6. Saved by the Bell
Before Nickelodeon and Disney packed the world with nothing but Live Action Kids shows, Saved by the Bell was the show that pretty much started the whole trend, while suffering a bit from being in the Pink Cadillac era of tv (High School setting that feels like the 50s but with plenty of 90s trends) it still manages to be significant in this day and age but it does show it's age.
5. Sister Sister
Nickelodeon's breakthrough hit that gave way to others like it, Sister Sister showcases the lives of Tia and Tamara who get separated as infants but reunite as teens under unique single parents Fashion Designer Lisa and Limo Driver Ray. One of the few twin plots that doesn't go for the obvious tropes and occasionally played some powerful moments such as when they finally learn about their birth mother.
4. Sabrina the Teenage Witch
Melissa Joan Hart originally started with Clarissa Explains It All, my sister was obssessed with it and the brother and sister dynamic in that show really put me off but Sabrina, Hart's more famous work was a lot more entertaining and really gave the live action sitcom market a boost in what can be accomplished with technology at the time.
3. MIghty Morphin Power Rangers
Haim Saban is a genius, without him I think anime would be dead because he saw something in Hurricane Rangers that would make a fortune over in the west and it did. This was Power Rangers and while it has become a cheese fest it's a very entertaining cheese fest, welcome to the world of Japanese TV and all it's weirdness.
2. Kenan & Kel
A cult classic and one of the few that's remembered among all my friends. Kenan & Kel showcases comedian friends Kenan and Kel as they get into bizarre situations usually by dumb luck or poor judgement and made even more famous for the "Who Love's Orange Soda?" line. It's so well remembered Nickelodeon started doing reruns again. (Or maybe they are desperate to win back diminishing viewers for their channel)
1. Wishbone
Now for something adorable.
Wishbone was a story telling show as the title character would tell a story from the point of view of a dog obviously done by voiceover who would replace the story main character with Wishbone himself, these were famous literacy works that may even be taught at school, everything from Shakesphere's works to Dickens, from legends like Robin Hood to old folk tales like Journey to the West. Yes Wishbone covered Saiyuki.
It was charming and had a sense of whimsy and Soccer the Dog (Actual name) is so adorable!
I'm going to do something rare and talk about live action on a blog normally reserved for anime and cartoons but since I want to try some new things lets look at some live action shows from my childhood. Keep in mind this is the British List, there is a seperate list for Nickelodeon and other related channels with live action shows, this is just the British part of the list.
Honorable Mention
The Worst Witch: Sitcom about a Witches Academy that long predates Harry Potter, the titular Worst Witch is Mildred Hubble a witch-in-training with more than a little bit of bad luck in her school time. Left off the list because it's being remade.
10. Rosie & Jim
This is a young kids show about two ragdolls that come to life and explore the world on the British canals with the owner of the Narrowboat as they come across places of interest and learn about the interesting little crafting areas and hidden gems of the British Isles along the canals of the long forgotten Industrial Revolution. The show has iconic status from the quacking duck ornament ontop of the Narrowboat.
9. Bernard's Watch
Sitcom about a boy who acquires a Magic Pocket Watch that can stop time of which he uses to solve problems, it was a very creative series but suffered from an unpopular remake.
8. Spatz
While the life and times of a burger restaurant seems like a recipe for a bad Spongebob ripoff, this sitcom looks at the original concept of the fastfood restaurant which was intended to be a delicacy for the rich and wealthy hence the title sequence, so give them credit for being different but it's still an entertaining little show.
7. Woof!
Sitcom about a boy who shapeshifts into a dog, very much the same type of show as Bernard's Watch, situation resolved by the powers the user possess but Woof at least tried to make it a bit more interesting.
6. Finders Keepers
A kids Gameshow where you tear apart a large studio house in pursuit of certain items to claim big prizes, me and my sister always said we could do a better job than the contestents.
5. Fun House
Similar to Finders Keepers instead ten times messier, ten times the mullet (Long story) and featured Go-Karts. This was the ultimate kids amusement park experience; may have inspired the creation of the adult ball pit. (Britain has a Ball Pit Bar in London strictly for adults, keep in mind Fun House is nearly 30 years old)
4. Rainbow
How can I not write a list like this and not include Rainbow, it's part of British TV History. The antics of the three puppets Zippy, George and Bungle in a house owned by presenter Geoffrey (Not the 1st presenter) as they did various activities. It ran for over a 1000 episodes, a rarity for a show of it's type in Britain and has cult status alongside the likes of Wallace and Gromit. Random Fact: Zippy & George share their voices with Doctor Who's Daleks.
3. The Sooty Show
The misadventures of a mute mischeivous puppet named Sooty who along with a dog named Sweep and a panda named Soo often indulges in slapstick by spraying his owner with a water pistol and using Magic Tricks for more slapstick, it's been a staple of British TV since the 50s and very little has changed apart from Sooty's owner.
2. ZZZap!
Billed as the television comic, ZZZap! has a showcase of comical showcases and creative works.
Cuthbert Lilly was a clumsy man which I dub Mr Bean Lite.
Smart Arty was an artist done in stereotypical French style but actually did some creative art pieces.
Tricky Dicky was a prankster with a spy style look.
Daisy Dares was someone who challenged kids to a dare often involving swimming pools and messy gunge.
Minnie the Mini Magician I didn't remember very well, but I guess she did magic tricks.
The Handymen were a pair of hands who did little clever crafts and tricks for an audience, despite being called Handymen the hands belonged to a woman.
1. Knightmare
Before World of Warcraft turned the fantasy gaming world into a realm of mediocrity we had Knightmare. A combination of Dungeons and Dragons Roleplaying thinking set on a mixture of video game and live action as you guide a player wearing a helmet that makes them blind. The object of the game was to complete the quest without dying. Easier said than done but it was fun to watch kids try especially when they had to command the blind player.
Everyone likes animal characters in cartoons and video games but some of the things they do aren't really accurate to real life so here are 10 myths.
Myth 1: Rabbits Love Eating Carrots
Culprit: Bugs Bunny
Truth: Carrots and other root vegetables are higher in sugar than other foods in a rabbits diet, too much is actually bad for them so it's surprising that Bugs Bunny doesn't have diabetes.
Myth 2: Hedgehogs Can't Swim
Culprit: Sonic the Hedgehog
Truth: Hedgehogs can swim just no one told Sega.
Myth 3: Road Runners are Really Fast
Culprit: Road Runner Cartoons
Truth: Road Runners are not only slow, Coyotes are actually faster than them.
Myth 4: Lemmings have Suicidal Tendencies
Culprit: Lemmings game
Truth: Lemmings Migrate in large numbers and creates the image that they are leading themselves to mass suicide but being a main source of prey for predators and the nature of their habitat it's not uncommon for many Lemmings to die in migration not helped by Disney's misconception thanks to a documentary they did.
Myth 5: Bulls are Enraged by the Color Red
Culprit: Common Cartoon Joke
Truth: Bulls are Color Blind, they get pissed off because you're flapping cloth in their face.
Myth 6: Cats Love Fish
Culprit: Happy from Fairy Tail
Truth: Raw Fish is poison for cats but cooked fish is fine, Natsu's doing you a favor by cooking fish Happy.
Myth 7: Fish have a Three Second Memory
Culprit: Finding Nemo
Truth: Fish have the memory capacity to remember predators, are capable of Teamwork and are cunning enough to avoid getting eaten.
Myth 8: Platypus Don't Do Much
Culprit: Phineas & Ferb
Truth: They are carnivores, the males are venomous and can find prey through feeling electric fields along side the fact that they are egg laying mammals I think they do quite a lot.
Myth 9: Simba and Nala are Married
Culprit: Lion King
Truth: Zazu implies that Simba and Nala will get married and they do in the end, but seeing as most lions are led by one alpha male, Simba and Nala are half brother and sister, also seeing as Simba is alpha male he probably mates with all females not just Nala.
Myth 10: Penguins Dance as a Form of Communication and to Attract Mates
Culprit: Happy Feet
Truth: They do dance but it's more to keep warm in cold climates, males attract mates by building a nest and doing a series of calls and head movements in a manner similar to how a peacock shows off it's feathers.
Disclaimer: This reviewer would like to apologize if any of these facts have affected your inner child
So my 30 posts from my 30th Birthday has come to end, much later than planned but life commitments are a priority which explains so many unfinished series across all my blogs as well as the lack of posting in others.
I look to change things in 2017 with some new features as well as some changes.
1. I shall bring back the long forgotten Walk of Fame as I aim to get to 100 entries and beyond. Coming soon will be a list of those already there, requests are welcome.
2. Magic Moments series which picks a number of different memories spanning across anime, cartoons and video games, the video games will run on the Game and Music Lounge while the anime and cartoon one will run of The Fantasy Zone.
3. Anime, Cartoon and Video Game reviews as well as top 10s will run as normal but there will be a reduced number to try and expand other areas.
4. Top secret project on Victory Script, more in the New Year.
5. Expect big gaps in my posts as life commitments will be priority in 2017.
The only thing else to say is have a Happy New Year.
Post 30 and the final review of this year is Sekirei.
Minato is a hapless student seemingly struggling in life after failing his college entrance exams until a buxom woman literally falls on him. This girl is Musubi, a Sekirei; Sekirei are a group of human lifeforms with exceptional powers who fight under the commands of the person who awakens them known as an Ashikabi, their destiny is to fight each other until only one is left standing who will then according to the head of MBI Minaka ascend onto the Heavenly Palace for the ultimate prize but we don't find this out ever as the anime ends before the story even completes, stuck with reading scans of the manga online to get a payoff at all which isn't worth it.
Anyway, Minato who doesn't want his Sekirei to fight acquires more over the story and attempts to cause trouble by trying to defy the rules and not fight at all, the whole system is really messed up. Minaka makes no qualms about using force to get rid of Sekirei who refuse to fight and some Sekirei, remember the majority are female, end up with really abusive people so it can also be uncomfortable in places, if I like anything about this series it's the Sekirei themselves having a whole range of interesting personalities and really makes for an entertaining harem if there's many things I don't like it's Musubi being really dull to watch, no payoff from having to sit through two seasons of anime and just the plot itself being really messed up. There are worst anime under the genre of weaponized harem but if you want something better than this then watch Elemental Gelade.
Dub is fine, nothing worthy of mention.
Final Verdict: With no payoff from the anime it feels like a waste of time to watch, if you really want to know what happens then just read the manga, save you a lot of effort.
