X-Men Animated Series

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I had given up hope that the 1990s animated X-Men would be released to DVD.  Many thanks to Johanna from Comics Worth Reading for noting its release.

She comments that the voice acting is not the best and the writing and animation is a bit subpar too.  She concludes that “I’m probably too old for this, not having a young love for superhero action or a nostalgic fondness from when this first aired.”

Personally, I have an enormous nostalgia built up for this series, and, unlike  the series Freakazoid, I have no expectations that it’ll be good.

In fact, one of my strongest memories is of Juggernaut proclaiming, “I’m COMing for you, ChARles exAAAvier!!!! Nothing can STAND in meye WAAAY!!!!”

But I was introduced to the X-Men and the Dark Phoenix storyline through this show.  My friends and I started collecting the comics too.

I’m thrilled to be able to see it again, crude animation and overwrought performances and all.

In passing, I was most disappointed in the live-action version of the Dark Phoenix storyline.  The comics’ Jean displayed unbridled destructive glee.  The movie Jean just seemed pissed that she’d lost her dry cleaning.

However, Hugh Jackman is better than any other incarnation of Wolverine.

Watching and Reading Update

I’m super busy today, so here’s what I’m entertaining myself with.

Books

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowlings.  I’m on chapter 10 and I’m being entertained.  It’s so big to carry around that I’m neglecting it a little.

Forever Odd by Dean Koontz. I haven’t actually started this one.  The last one was emotionally intense and I’m a little reluctant to start this one.

This Place Has No Atmosphere by Paula Danziger. I think I read the first chapter?  It’s a fluffy SF, so I should be able to finish it quickly once I start.

Ill Met By Moonlight by Sarah A. Hoyt.  I have had this in my TBR pile for several years.  It’s about Shakespeare and Fairies, and should be just perfect but I had a lot of trouble with it.

I showed it to my sister and told her how I was stuck.  She said that I should at least try to get past page 17.  I hadn’t realized how little I’d read.  In an instance of great irony, the author introduces the good stuff on page 18.  I’m on chapter 7 17 now and enjoying it very, very much.

Movies

Ultra Maniac. Anime. 7 volumes.  The final volume is due in this week.  It’s an OK magical girl story.  Sometimes the animation falters badly and some of the plots are boring.  The manga by Wataru Yoshizumi is  much better.

The Big Lebowski (1998).  I’ve seen it years ago and I wanted to see something funny.  It keeps getting bumped down my queue.  It’s due this week.

Iron Man (2008).  I ordered this to watch with friends but it’s not that high on my queue.

Kino’s Journey. Anime. 3 volumes.  I’ve just finished the first volume – this is amazing.  The artwork is delightful, the sound effects, the music, and the stories are first rate.  Animation for grownups (as opposed to anime made for kids, teens or the lascivious).

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya 1

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Loved the 00 episode with the amateur film.  My favorite bits were the slipping cat and the increasingly disillusioned narration by Kyon.

The first episode disgusted me and I’m glad I saw it much later than the other episodes.  I was especially disturbed by the blackmailing of the computer class.  Haruhi with her shenanigans has put Miss Ashahina in a dangerous position. Miss Ashahina is the obviously the weakest link in the chain and she could be the victim of one of the boys in the club striking back at her rather than at Haruhi.  I’m also furious with Kyon – Miss Ashahina needed his help, in fact, she begged it.  He promised her that he would help her.  He failed not because he wasn’t aware that she needed his help or that he was afraid of Haruhi.  He was just too turned on to bother.  This was nearly unforgivable.

(Note: this situation is softened by the end of the series.  It was still unpleasant and I’m glad I watched it out of order.)

Otherwise, I liked the introduction of Yuki Nagato.  That explains why she reads so much – a little anyway.

The final episode has Haruhi signing them up to play baseball.  Everyone is reluctant except for Itsuki Koizumi (I don’t trust him).  It turns out to be a highly entertaining game with everyone playing in character (screaming when the ball approaches or swinging enthusiastically with no results).  I liked this episode and I think the creators do their best work when subverted cliches without entirely abandoning the framework.

It’s a mixed bag but the series is excellent overall.

Retro Saturday Morning Cartoons

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It’s almost New Year’s and so I thought I’d talk about what my family and friends did last year.  Usually, we stay up late and chant down to the moment.  We also watch mockamons = “bad movies suitable for mocking.”

Last year, we did something different.  We decided to have an old-fashioned Saturday morning cartoon fest.  The plan was to watch cartoons for as long as we could stand it and eat sugar bomb cereal (a la Calvin and Hobbes) while wearing our jammies.

There was some issue over the cereal.  One man asked if he could eat a real breakfast, such as toast and eggs which we allowed but thought was faint-hearted of him.  Then I put the group into a tizzy because I said I would bring raisin bran cereal.  I was soundly rebuked for not understanding the essence of the sugar bomb cereal.

The rule is that it must turn your milk another color,  preferably one never seen in nature.  The best kinds turn the milk gray.  People had their favorite brands but I chose one I had not eaten before.  It made purple milk.

The jammies were the easiest part and some people wrapped themselves in sleeping bags and sat on the floor in front of the TV. Cartoons on the schedule were Sailor Moon Supers, and The Tick (season 2), and He-Man (season 1), and some random Warner’s cartoons.

One young woman in the group had never seen He-Man.  I think dumbfounded is the best way to describe her reaction.  I can’t believe I used to watch it, to be frank.  There must have been nothing else on.  I did not know that Paul Dini, who worked on Batman: The Animated Series, had worked on He-Man.  He seems frustrated about the series on his interview.

The Tick was voted the best of the day.

Here is our favorite line:

And, isn’t sanity really just a one-trick pony anyway?  I mean all you get is one trick, rational thinking, but when you’re good and crazy, the sky is the limit.

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Allegro non Troppo (1977)

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The comedy bits in between the animation sequences were only slightly less boring than the introductions in Disney’s Fantasia series. The animation was good enough but nothing amazing.

The Afternoon of the Faun – Debussy sequence featured a lonely satyr.  There are were lots of nude girls and some comedic lasciviousness.

The stray cat imagining better times in Sibelius’s Valse Triste was highly depressing but an enjoyable use of animation.

Dorak’s Slavonic Dance was silly and lively.  More an animated shaggy dog tale than anything.

Vivaldi’s Concerto in C Major with the angry bee and Stravinsky’s Firebird featuring a story of the serpent from the Garden of Eden were tedious.

The most enjoyable segment for me was the animation with Ravel’s Bolero. This is a science fiction version of evolution – on another planet with wacky little aliens. It is more whimsical and less violent than Fantasia’s interpretation of  Rite of Spring.  My favorite character in this sequence is the mean-spirited and clever ape who appears again and again. The conclusion to the segment is chilling and makes the dinos in Fantasia seem even more stodgy.

Flame of Recca – disc 10

Well, this is the end of the series. The first part (before they go to tournament) was still super fun but the battles got in the way of the interaction between the team Hokage which is my favorite part.

Also, the anime ends with tons of unfinished subplots: Fuko did not solve the mystery of her full powers, and ’s access to her ultimate powers, Tokiya never finds his sister’s killer much less avenge her.  The Kurei escapes, and his future is not told.

Most puzzling to me, how did they readjust to normal life after all their adventures?  I think it’s fair to say that they are adults now – and I can’t imagine how they would be content to be high school students.

Anyway, the final battle was satisfying and the team glomping Recca after they win was amusing.

Tiamat has good things to say about the manga and notes the problems with the anime version.  But I don’t know that I want to invest more time in the series.

Shojo Beat April 2008

Cover: Love Sand Chronicles and I’m happy to see Ann on the cover but she fades away because she’s so pale.  Would have like something with more pop.

Ultimate Anime List by Nancy Thistlewaite

I’ve read many manga volumes but I’ve seen very few of these anime.  Hmmm….

Cardcaptor Sakura – Though I saw one of the movies, and own one of the mangled version DVDs, I can’t say I’ve seen it.  I own five of one of the series of manga.

Sailor Moon -  This was my first shojo anime.

His and Her Circumstances – read the first 8 volumes of this series but then I lost interest.

Fruits Basket – not seen the anime but read the first 6 volumes of the manga.

Vision of Escaflowne – I must see this one.

Fishigi Yuugi - I’m embarrassed to reveal that I’ve not seen this series.

12 Kingdoms - I didn’t know this series was available.  I’ve heard many good reports of it.

Princess Tutu – the character designs were unappealing to me but maybe I should try it.

Little Snow Fairy Sugar -  I adore this series.

Vampire Princess Miyu – I want to see it but I’m not sure if it’s readily available.

NOT SHOJO

Inuyasha – I watched several of the early episodes and read several of the manga.

Stellvia – SF with a girl heroine – wow!  I’ll have to find it.

Someday’s Dreamers – This one is one my Q.  I have the first manga and a DVD of this series.

Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya – Great series.

Culture and Trends

Honey & Clover anime looks cute.  The characters are very appealing in color.

Shojo Beat On the Silver Screen

I want to see

• Aishiteruze Baby
• Baby & Me
• Nana
• Ouran High School Host Club
• Ultra Maniac (I have seen this one – a lot of fun)
• Vampire Knight

I want to see Toshokan Senso (Library War) too.

Spoilers – Series Comments

Flame of Recca 7, 8, & 9

Quick notes on the episodes of discs 7,8, and 9 behind cut.

10 Thanksgiving movies

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I was looking at ideas for our holiday viewing this Thanksgiving.  I found a lot of the same movies on the lists: Pieces of April and Trains, Planes and Automobiles.  My friends and family and I thought of a few more.

Addams Family Values -  Remember Wednesday proclaiming that the European invaders are up to no good, and “for all these reasons I have decided to scalp you and burn your village to the ground.” Good way for those of European ancestry to have their guilt and turkey too.

Swiss Family Robinson 1960 -  They are actually celebrating Christmas but it’s all about colonialism and harvest and so is applicable.  The ostrich in the race and the tree-housewarming are fun.  Edit: Just saw it and think it works better as an Xmas movie.

Squanto: A Warrior’s Tale – I don’t know how historically accurate this movie is.  The movie portrays him as the most forgiving and most intellectually curious man on the planet at the time.  Definitely a hero.

Wizard of Oz -  Well, there is no place like home, even if it’s so economically depressed, they can’t afford color.

Lilo & Stitch - It’s all about family and Elvis songs and psychotic aliens – perfect for Thanksgiving.

Last of the Mohicans 1992 -  Wes Studi is the awesome.  And it’s good for people who prefer the action-packed over the touchy-feely.

Johnny Appleseed 1948 – The real dude was way crazy.  But it’s got a joyful “be thankful” song.

Eat Drink Man Woman -  Wrong country but family is family and food is food.  I love this movie.

You Can’t Take It with You -  I haven’t seen this but I am assured that it’s a great friends, family and food movie.

Big Night -  Immigrants struggling to make it is a big part of the USA story.  And the final scene…wow.  Just wow.

List of Tday movies

Good list of Tday movies

Another list

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In the Realms of the Unreal (2004)

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Imaginary worlds fascinate me, especially the ones that begin as a secret haven.  Other worlds I’ve read about are Boxen created by C. S. Lewis and his brother, Islandia by Austen Tappen Wright and, of course, Gondal and Angria created by the four Bronte siblings.

Henry Darger began creating his imaginary world in his late teens and worked on it until he was in his 70s.  I’ve read about Darger’s efforts in books and online quite a bit.  I was pleased to learn there had been a documentary made about his life and his fantasy world.

According to the film, his personal life was painful and lacked any kind of vitality.  Darger lost his parents at a young age.  He had no memories of his younger sister because she had been adopted as a baby. He did not even know her name.  Darger worked as a janitor in Chicago for most of his life, except for a stint in the army.  He had one friend.  He never had a pet.

But his inner life was entirely different.   He created a 15,000 page book on the chronicles of the Princesses – The Vivienne Girls – who were waging war against the child-enslaving villains of a neighboring country.  Along with the text story, he created paintings depicting both war and peace in the fantasy world.  He used illustrations in children’s books and magazines as models, which he used in unusual ways for his paintings.  A few of them were 12 feet long.  Some of the more unusual paintings featured girls with goats’ horns or butterfly wings, giant flowers, personified cloud formations and winged serpentine monsters.

His fiction from the excerpts I read online and as narrated in the film was less than pleasing.  But I have to say that I enjoyed looking at his art.  The colors and the weird images were appealing to me.  The Jessica Yu, the director, chose limited animation in portraying some of the images, which I didn’t mind. One of the aspects of the art that puzzles people is that some, but not all, of the little girls have male genitalia.  Some of the people interviewed suggested that Darger didn’t know anything about female anatomy.  Darger described the Vivienne Girls in particular as being more skillful than ordinary girls are and more powerful than adult men.  It could be that this was Darger’s way of showing the difference in these girls.  Or not.

It appears to me that these secret imaginary worlds are created in dismal circumstances.  On the other hand, it is amazing what the mind can create under pressure.  And several of these secret worlds were eventually the source of great creative projects, so it’s not all bad.