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 on to the final leg of the tribute as we finish off 2014's deceased from October-December.
Kazuko Yanaga 1947-2014
Veteran voice actress known for being the dub voice for Sigourney Weaver, Susan Sarandon and Jamie Lee Curtis as well as voice work on many anime series.
Rokuro Naya 1932-2014
Veteran voice actor who provided the dub voice for Professor X and Squidward Tentacles. Most recognized for his voice work in Crayon Shin Chan.
Bunta Sugawara 1933-2014
Veteran actor who provided voice work for Spirited Away and Tales from Earthsea as well as the inspiration for One Piece's Admiral Akainu
Ralph H. Baer 1922-2014
The Father of Video Games. Developed the first home games console and game in 1966.
Martha Goldman Sigall 1917-2014
Inker and Painter for Looney Tunes for over 50 years.
Norman Bridwell 1928-2014
Author of Clifford the Big Red Dog
Robert Taylor 1944-2014
Award winning animator, writer, producer and film director known for his work on Talespin, Fritz the Cat, Goof Troop and Aladdin the King of Thieves among others.
Hidetoshi Nakamura 1954-2014
Veteran voice actor known for numerous Gundam roles among hundred others. Also Pepe Le Pew's dub voice.
Christine Cavanaugh 1963-2014
Veteran voice actress of Chuckie Finster from Rugrats, Dexter from Dexter's Laboratory, Gosalyn Mallard from Darkwing Duck, Bunnie Rabbot from Sonic, Oblina from Aaargh Real Monsters, Babe the Sheep Pig along with many others.
Okay, back to some really serious reviewing, no more distractions, except I want more hot apple Drambuie. No! Reviewing time and I shouldn't encourage drinking.
(Respect your country's drinking laws and drink responsibly)
Now for some Rugrats.
Rugrats was one of the starter titles for Nickelodeon's Nicktoons, a show told from the point of view of a group of infants if they were actually speaking and a secondary plot often featuring their parents. A typical episode would feature a problem that only a baby would understand or a situation where one of the parents does something and the babies get involved or the antagonist of the group Angelica trying to get her way, the show was a long runner for Nickelodeon until Spongebob began and even went beyond with a spinoff tween show.
Rugrats as a concept is nothing new, especially when you consider that the Muppets did the whole babies thing years earlier but the main fundamental difference is that the adults are not only shown but are often involved with an episode plot, and it's the adults that really sell the show to a higher audience when you consider the amount of hidden adult jokes within the series; this one below as an example.
I'll let the viewers work that one out.
The point is Rugrats sold so well to an adult audience, particularly those who are parents because they can understand every joke being said and have probably dealt with the situations on show, and with my generation becoming parents themselves, they now have a new appreciation for Rugrats as they now understand what their parents found so funny.
It's that special kind of generation link that makes Rugrats one of the best cartoons of all time and even if the content of the show is heavily dated, the situations and plots aren't.
So if you think today's Nickelodeon is a mess of mindless shows with no redeeming qualities and toilet jokes with it's only decent showing being Legend of Korra, then take a trip back in time and remember when Nicktoons actually did a good job.
