Just a quick update... you've probably seen these both before, but...
Real blog entry coming next week.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
The Quest for Anime
There actually wasn't one. Thundercats pretty much marked the end of my cartoon/anime watching days for a period of several years. I soon turned 16 and got caught up in trying to be cool (a waste of time and effort). This involved making a general ass of myself, alienating a number of my friends and drinking to the point of stupidity for a number of years, which culminated in a wasted semester at the University of Wyoming. All I managed to do was fail my classes, alienate even more friends, and continue on a downward spiral.
After that debacle was over, I ended up joining the Navy for all the wrong reasons. Whilst serving in the Navy, I continued to generally be a douchebag, drink too much and piss people off. At least I was in good company this time though. The stereotypes regarding drunken sailors are all too accurate I'm afraid.
Somehow during all of this jack-assery, I started to renew my interest in all things geek. I started playing Dungeons & Dragons again, as it turns out the military is home to many a nerd. I soon ended up getting stationed in Okinawa with most of my D&D buddies. A couple of them were also Japanophiles, and had chosen Okinawa as one of their top choices for next duty station. We would regularly have movie nights together as a group, and it was during one of these that someone brought in the anime Vampire Hunter D. This was right up my alley, and I was frankly blown away by the gore, the fantasy setting and the downright coolness of it all.
I was fortunate to be in Japan, and it was easy to get my hands on other anime titles in short order. Unfortunately, most of them were forgettable and uninteresting to me. Anything that concerns giant robots fighting each other just bores me to death. Also, with the notable exception of Firefly and the original three Star Wars films, I just don't like sci-fi all that much either, so that ruled out a large chunk of anime as well.
During one of our movie nights, one of the Japanophiles (I guess I would now label him otaku), brought in a copy of Record of Lodoss War. Once again I was blown away. Here was an anime that was clearly inspired by western notions of high fantasy. It was part Lord of the Rings, part Dungeons & Dragons, and incredibly enjoyable. It had all the traditional characters one would expect: noble knight, wily rogue, gruff dwarf, mysterious wizard, etc. battling the usual monsters such as goblins, kobolds, dragons, dark lords and witches. Regardless of the tropes and cliches which abounded, the story was well told and unpredictable. It was a story with the trappings of Western fantasy, but with Japanese sensibilities. No straightforward battle of good vs. evil here... plenty of shades of gray and a fair amount of tragedy and loss. It was brilliant, and I wanted more.
I later discovered that the anime was based on a series of Japanese fantasy novels of the same title by Ryo Mizuno, who had been inspired by the Dungeons & Dragons RPG. Although it has been decades since its original release, Lodoss remains popular and well regarded by both anime and fantasy fans worldwide; so much so that an online role-playing game (ala World of Warcraft) is being developed in Japan for worldwide release.
Lodoss MMO in development!
My next post will take the focus away from anime, at least for the time being... stay tuned.
After that debacle was over, I ended up joining the Navy for all the wrong reasons. Whilst serving in the Navy, I continued to generally be a douchebag, drink too much and piss people off. At least I was in good company this time though. The stereotypes regarding drunken sailors are all too accurate I'm afraid.
Somehow during all of this jack-assery, I started to renew my interest in all things geek. I started playing Dungeons & Dragons again, as it turns out the military is home to many a nerd. I soon ended up getting stationed in Okinawa with most of my D&D buddies. A couple of them were also Japanophiles, and had chosen Okinawa as one of their top choices for next duty station. We would regularly have movie nights together as a group, and it was during one of these that someone brought in the anime Vampire Hunter D. This was right up my alley, and I was frankly blown away by the gore, the fantasy setting and the downright coolness of it all.
During one of our movie nights, one of the Japanophiles (I guess I would now label him otaku), brought in a copy of Record of Lodoss War. Once again I was blown away. Here was an anime that was clearly inspired by western notions of high fantasy. It was part Lord of the Rings, part Dungeons & Dragons, and incredibly enjoyable. It had all the traditional characters one would expect: noble knight, wily rogue, gruff dwarf, mysterious wizard, etc. battling the usual monsters such as goblins, kobolds, dragons, dark lords and witches. Regardless of the tropes and cliches which abounded, the story was well told and unpredictable. It was a story with the trappings of Western fantasy, but with Japanese sensibilities. No straightforward battle of good vs. evil here... plenty of shades of gray and a fair amount of tragedy and loss. It was brilliant, and I wanted more.
 |
| D&D Party: "Woodchuck" the Rogue, Slayne the Wizard, Etoh the Cleric, Deedlit the Elf, Gimm the Dwarf, and Parn the Knight. Roll initiative! |
Lodoss MMO in development!
My next post will take the focus away from anime, at least for the time being... stay tuned.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Thundercats... Hoooooo!
I spent an inordinate amount of time during the early to mid-80's watching cartoons on Saturday mornings and immediately after returning home from school. I have vivid memories of running or biking home as fast as possible so I could catch whatever was on at 3:30.
For the most part, the toons were American staples such as the Looney Toons, Tom & Jerry, Woody Woodpecker or Scooby Doo. However, it was during this time that Japanese anime, edited for American audiences, began to find its way into the United States. I am now aware that a small amount of anime was actually broadcast in the US previously, notably Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion, but these somehow slipped beneath my radar (or were not shown on the networks I watched).
Somewhere around this time I became aware of a cartoon called G-Force: Guardians of Space, the first Japanese anime I now recall watching. While I remember it being quirky and unique, to put it lightly it just wasn't my thing.
I later learned that G-Force had been Turner Broadcasting was responsible for bringing the show to US audiences in a heavily edited and chopped version which basically dispensed with any of the adult themes or elements found in the original Japanese version (something Turner also infamously did with the entire Looney Toons catalog... but I digress).
Around the same time, what was to become my favorite cartoon series of the 80's had its debut. I speak of none other than the mighty Thundercats.
By this time, I was a young teenager, and even as a professed nerd I was definitely beyond what was considered proper cartoon watching years (my how things have changed). Still, this show drew me in for various reasons. The animation was far better than most of what was being shown at the time, and the story lines were complex and layered (again, this is only when compared with the drek Hanna Barbara was offering).
I soon realized that this now classic toon was not only produced by Rankin-Bass (of Hobbit/Last Unicorn fame), but as before, the animation department was entirely Japanese. The show was well-received by many 80s kids, and the current wave of nostalgia has resurrected the Thundercats property with a new animated series to be released July, 2011. The animation for the new show will be provided by the Japanese animation company Studio 4 C.
I came to the conclusion that Japanese animation was in fact superior to American offerings, not an entirely fair comparison, but there you go. I began to actively search out anime and manga, but living in Laramie Wyoming in the pre-Internet age did not make my search an easy one. Next blog... A Quest for Anime!
For the most part, the toons were American staples such as the Looney Toons, Tom & Jerry, Woody Woodpecker or Scooby Doo. However, it was during this time that Japanese anime, edited for American audiences, began to find its way into the United States. I am now aware that a small amount of anime was actually broadcast in the US previously, notably Osamu Tezuka's Astro Boy and Kimba the White Lion, but these somehow slipped beneath my radar (or were not shown on the networks I watched).
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| G Force: Guardians of Space |
I later learned that G-Force had been Turner Broadcasting was responsible for bringing the show to US audiences in a heavily edited and chopped version which basically dispensed with any of the adult themes or elements found in the original Japanese version (something Turner also infamously did with the entire Looney Toons catalog... but I digress).
Around the same time, what was to become my favorite cartoon series of the 80's had its debut. I speak of none other than the mighty Thundercats.
By this time, I was a young teenager, and even as a professed nerd I was definitely beyond what was considered proper cartoon watching years (my how things have changed). Still, this show drew me in for various reasons. The animation was far better than most of what was being shown at the time, and the story lines were complex and layered (again, this is only when compared with the drek Hanna Barbara was offering).
I soon realized that this now classic toon was not only produced by Rankin-Bass (of Hobbit/Last Unicorn fame), but as before, the animation department was entirely Japanese. The show was well-received by many 80s kids, and the current wave of nostalgia has resurrected the Thundercats property with a new animated series to be released July, 2011. The animation for the new show will be provided by the Japanese animation company Studio 4 C.
 |
| Thundercats - 1985 |
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| Thundercats - 2011 |
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