So I decided to check this show out after seeing Vrai and JosieNextDoor talk about it, they created their own tag on Twitter, #VaticanBros. Calling it the best "So Bad it's Good" Anime this season.
First two episodes had me interested, then 3 and 4 sold me on it. This is the show the Digibro and Nate should have did their Podcast on.
It's a wonderfully Campy mix of absurd Pulpy B Movies tropes. I've watched lots of B movies abuot the Occuls, and cheap Exorcist knock offs, and listened to hours of William Scenbelen's crazy stories. This is the Anime version of that Madness and it's beautiful.
The 4 episodes that have already aired seem to be the first Novel, so we'll see if the next story can live up to the hype.
Monday, July 31, 2017
Friday, July 28, 2017
I don't like Justice League Doom either.
I had been excited for the idea of a Tower of Babel adaptation. But this movie majorly disappointed.
First of all throwing a bunch of other Villains in with the Legion of Doom idea was unnecessary. I feel like they mostly did it as an excuse to shoe horn Bane in who's involvement in Rises made him more marketable then ever.
Even just replacing Ra's Al Ghoul with Savage was lame, it definitely worked best that the mastermind of this story was a Batman nemesis.
I would have preferred them keep the original's Justice League line up, including Plastic Man, and Kyle as the Green Lantern and Wally as The Flash. And them throwing Cyborg in just because they're beginning the process of lining up these animated films with the New52 line up really annoyed me.
But my biggest issue, was how they changed the nature of Batman's contignecey plans.
1. The Comic had made sure to make them Non Leathal, hence not using Green Kryptonite even though he had some.
2. But what's additionally stupid is how the plans in this movie were dependent on them having their normal personalities. They are supposed to be plans in case they got body swapped or brainwashed or something. In which case especially the plans used in this film on Superman and Hal Jordan would be utterly useless.
Once again, this is another movie that proves, no, DC has never been perfect at making Animated movies.
First of all throwing a bunch of other Villains in with the Legion of Doom idea was unnecessary. I feel like they mostly did it as an excuse to shoe horn Bane in who's involvement in Rises made him more marketable then ever.
Even just replacing Ra's Al Ghoul with Savage was lame, it definitely worked best that the mastermind of this story was a Batman nemesis.
I would have preferred them keep the original's Justice League line up, including Plastic Man, and Kyle as the Green Lantern and Wally as The Flash. And them throwing Cyborg in just because they're beginning the process of lining up these animated films with the New52 line up really annoyed me.
But my biggest issue, was how they changed the nature of Batman's contignecey plans.
1. The Comic had made sure to make them Non Leathal, hence not using Green Kryptonite even though he had some.
2. But what's additionally stupid is how the plans in this movie were dependent on them having their normal personalities. They are supposed to be plans in case they got body swapped or brainwashed or something. In which case especially the plans used in this film on Superman and Hal Jordan would be utterly useless.
Once again, this is another movie that proves, no, DC has never been perfect at making Animated movies.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
I'm going to talk about Tsunderes, but it's not because I'm like them or anything
One character archetype a lot of modern critics seem to be harshest on is the Anime
Tsundere, where I see comments like "the tsundere schtick is handled
well when the trope is treated like a mental hangup bordering on mental
illness."-a YouTuber calling themselves Char Azanbel.
You see, I've paid enough attention to the world to know that the Tsundere isn't unique to Anime. It can be traced back to Shakespeare at least. Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing describes Beatrice's feelings for Benedick thusly:
Asuka from Evangelion keeps getting praised as the best written Tsundere. I was unable to find her likeable regardless of her backstory, and that's as someone who's bias is always to favor the female characters. So I get sick of seeing Asuka praised for being Traumatized, while Rin Tohsaka is considered just a visual novel cliche by "educated" critics. And Kagami ignored for being from an Anime that isn't story driven at all, but that's what I like about Lucky Star.
Everything above is basically copied from an earlier post I did where this Tsundere rant was a mere example of a broader subject. But now I want to expand on it.
I've been looking at the Anime Tsunderes who predate the term being coined in the early-mid 2000s. Auska and Misty of Pokemon are among them, Misty is another character I wasn't fond of in-spite of my general bias for female characters. Do I simply not like Proto-Tsunderes as much as the modern caricature??? Not really.
You see what I've found really interesting looking at 90s Anime is that Tsundere traits most showed up in Shoujo Anime (Anime marketed to young girls), often in the main character, the one the audience is supposed to most be able to project themselves onto.
Heck it possibly starts with Sailor Moon herself, Usagi Tsukino, who is at the beginning very much a Tsundere towards Mamoru. Rei Hino is also a Tsundere both towards her male love interest (and towards Usagi). I also notice this in Wedding Peach with Momoko towards Youske, and Hinagiku towards her love interest. Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne also does the same thing. In most of these cases the Tsun is mutual from the male in question.
That suggests the average Japanese School Girl could to some degree relate to it, or at the very least enjoy watching it play out.
Otaku centric Light Novels and Visual Novels and the Anime adapted from them began to more and more define some characters almost solely around this trait. But why is the Tsundere seemingly always the most popular? When my observations of the Meme generating community suggests the other characters have more vocal fans among typical Otaku? Is it possible the female audience that many want to pretend doesn't exist for these shows are in fact the ones rooting for the Tsunderes?
Or maybe it's that regardless of Gender the Tsundere is the most relateable, more so then she is an ideal fantasy lover? Since after all we can all relate to being conflicted, to being in denial, or to warming up to someone or something over time. I relate to Hiragi Kagmi so much she's currently my Avatar almost everywhere online, even though in theory Konata is who an anti-social lazy Otaku like myself should most identify with. The thing is I'm not as self confident as Konata is. EndlessJess relates to Asuka the most of anyone in Evangelion. I relate to Rei Ayanami most in Eva, so I guess it depends on what kind of Tsudnere it is for me.
When I first made that earlier post I hadn't seen Toradora yet. It's great, I recommend it, and it's Dub is great too. Taiga is a very fun little Tsundere. But there are other cool characters as well.
For a fun epilogue, here is a YouTube video of mine made for Lucky Star fans.
You see, I've paid enough attention to the world to know that the Tsundere isn't unique to Anime. It can be traced back to Shakespeare at least. Leonato in Much Ado About Nothing describes Beatrice's feelings for Benedick thusly:
Skye Sweetnam had a song called Tangled Up In Me where she was basically singing about being a Tsundere. That whole common idea you've heard that if a girl was picking on you on the playground it probably means she likes you, is exactly what the Tsundere is based on. It's only become so well categorized in Anime because we Otaku obsess over categorizing everything.By my troth, my lord, I cannot tell what to think
of it but that she loves him with an enraged
affection: it is past the infinite of thought.
Asuka from Evangelion keeps getting praised as the best written Tsundere. I was unable to find her likeable regardless of her backstory, and that's as someone who's bias is always to favor the female characters. So I get sick of seeing Asuka praised for being Traumatized, while Rin Tohsaka is considered just a visual novel cliche by "educated" critics. And Kagami ignored for being from an Anime that isn't story driven at all, but that's what I like about Lucky Star.
Everything above is basically copied from an earlier post I did where this Tsundere rant was a mere example of a broader subject. But now I want to expand on it.
I've been looking at the Anime Tsunderes who predate the term being coined in the early-mid 2000s. Auska and Misty of Pokemon are among them, Misty is another character I wasn't fond of in-spite of my general bias for female characters. Do I simply not like Proto-Tsunderes as much as the modern caricature??? Not really.
You see what I've found really interesting looking at 90s Anime is that Tsundere traits most showed up in Shoujo Anime (Anime marketed to young girls), often in the main character, the one the audience is supposed to most be able to project themselves onto.
Heck it possibly starts with Sailor Moon herself, Usagi Tsukino, who is at the beginning very much a Tsundere towards Mamoru. Rei Hino is also a Tsundere both towards her male love interest (and towards Usagi). I also notice this in Wedding Peach with Momoko towards Youske, and Hinagiku towards her love interest. Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne also does the same thing. In most of these cases the Tsun is mutual from the male in question.
That suggests the average Japanese School Girl could to some degree relate to it, or at the very least enjoy watching it play out.
Otaku centric Light Novels and Visual Novels and the Anime adapted from them began to more and more define some characters almost solely around this trait. But why is the Tsundere seemingly always the most popular? When my observations of the Meme generating community suggests the other characters have more vocal fans among typical Otaku? Is it possible the female audience that many want to pretend doesn't exist for these shows are in fact the ones rooting for the Tsunderes?
Or maybe it's that regardless of Gender the Tsundere is the most relateable, more so then she is an ideal fantasy lover? Since after all we can all relate to being conflicted, to being in denial, or to warming up to someone or something over time. I relate to Hiragi Kagmi so much she's currently my Avatar almost everywhere online, even though in theory Konata is who an anti-social lazy Otaku like myself should most identify with. The thing is I'm not as self confident as Konata is. EndlessJess relates to Asuka the most of anyone in Evangelion. I relate to Rei Ayanami most in Eva, so I guess it depends on what kind of Tsudnere it is for me.
When I first made that earlier post I hadn't seen Toradora yet. It's great, I recommend it, and it's Dub is great too. Taiga is a very fun little Tsundere. But there are other cool characters as well.
For a fun epilogue, here is a YouTube video of mine made for Lucky Star fans.
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
I miss how Hulu used to be
With all the debate I'm seeing in the Anime community right now between Crunchyroll's model and the new additions of Netflix and Amazon's Anime Strike service. I just find myself remembering how much I loved Hulu not that long ago.
The majority of time I have spent streaming Anime online legally was on Hulu from 2014 to a certain point in 2016. They ran smoothly, I could watch and even comment (via Facebook) on the video without needing an account, but was also able to make a free account so I could have a Queue and favorites. And the ads were placed in the designed commercial break spots. I might have complained about some small things at the time, but now I really appreciate what I no longer have. The only real improvement they needed was even more shows to choose from. Plus they included the Dubs just as Free as the Subs for almost everything that had Dubs, Sailor Moon and Attack on the Titan were the only exceptions there.
From when I first watched Noir till sometime in 2014 I was not an Otaku, not knowingly, I was just a Nerd who happened to have seen a few more Anime then the average American nerd. Finding TVTropes in 2012 started increasing my Anime curiosity (since due to the Alphabet the Anime and Manga examples were first on almost every Trope's page), but I wasn't feeling too compelled to jump into all that just yet.
The hype around Sailor Moon's comeback is what first lead me to Hulu. And from there It was on Hulu I first watched Madoka, and Utena (including the Utena movie) and The Rose of Versailles. (A few others Animes I watched at that time I don't recall if Hulu or Funimation's website is where I watched them.) And I re-watched Death Note and El Cazador there, I noted that they had Noir and Fujiko Mine but those I had on DVD so I didn't need Hulu for them. And they had lots of other options.
Doing all of that mostly on Hulu was how I first got really into Anime. Eventually to the point where I almost felt like I didn't need anything else. How easy and convenient it was is what made it possible.
In theory everything I loved about Hulu should apply to Crunchyroll's current model. But for me it just hasn't ran as smoothly the few times I've tried to use it. Maybe that can be blamed on my cheap Laptop, but I used the same Laptop for Hulu. Plus Crunchyroll frequently doesn't include Dubs, at least not for free.
But then Hulu changed.
Two things happened. They dropped most of their Anime, the most notable thing they still have is the exclusive streaming rights to the original Sailor Moon and it's official Viz Subs (and some of the Viz Dub).
The majority of time I have spent streaming Anime online legally was on Hulu from 2014 to a certain point in 2016. They ran smoothly, I could watch and even comment (via Facebook) on the video without needing an account, but was also able to make a free account so I could have a Queue and favorites. And the ads were placed in the designed commercial break spots. I might have complained about some small things at the time, but now I really appreciate what I no longer have. The only real improvement they needed was even more shows to choose from. Plus they included the Dubs just as Free as the Subs for almost everything that had Dubs, Sailor Moon and Attack on the Titan were the only exceptions there.
From when I first watched Noir till sometime in 2014 I was not an Otaku, not knowingly, I was just a Nerd who happened to have seen a few more Anime then the average American nerd. Finding TVTropes in 2012 started increasing my Anime curiosity (since due to the Alphabet the Anime and Manga examples were first on almost every Trope's page), but I wasn't feeling too compelled to jump into all that just yet.
The hype around Sailor Moon's comeback is what first lead me to Hulu. And from there It was on Hulu I first watched Madoka, and Utena (including the Utena movie) and The Rose of Versailles. (A few others Animes I watched at that time I don't recall if Hulu or Funimation's website is where I watched them.) And I re-watched Death Note and El Cazador there, I noted that they had Noir and Fujiko Mine but those I had on DVD so I didn't need Hulu for them. And they had lots of other options.
Doing all of that mostly on Hulu was how I first got really into Anime. Eventually to the point where I almost felt like I didn't need anything else. How easy and convenient it was is what made it possible.
In theory everything I loved about Hulu should apply to Crunchyroll's current model. But for me it just hasn't ran as smoothly the few times I've tried to use it. Maybe that can be blamed on my cheap Laptop, but I used the same Laptop for Hulu. Plus Crunchyroll frequently doesn't include Dubs, at least not for free.
But then Hulu changed.
Two things happened. They dropped most of their Anime, the most notable thing they still have is the exclusive streaming rights to the original Sailor Moon and it's official Viz Subs (and some of the Viz Dub).
But even worse is that a lot less, possibly nothing by now, became possible to view without a paying subscription. I first noticed this with non Anime stuff, a few non Anime shows I'd watched there, and I had wanted to use it for Pretty Little Liars last half season so I could just not need my TV at all anymore, but then found it wouldn't be view-able for free.
Now even Sailor Moon can't be viewed without a subscription anymore. (And I inherently don't trust Free 30 day trails, my family has gotten billed for things we canceled before.)
Some of the few shows they do have I might feel inclined to try right now, after all I should maybe look at Vampire Knight for the Halloween Recommendations post I'm working on for October. But I don't have the ability to pay for it.
Amazon's double pay wall is people's main annoyance with it. What bugs me though is how none of the stuff Amazon gets seem to get Dubbed, unless I've missed something, I haven't really checked all of them, but they had Vivid Strike which ain't getting Dubbed. I'm still unclear how all the licensing stuff works. As someone who prefers Dubs, knowing every Netflix show will get Dubbed is a major relief.
Amazon most annoys me when it gets what I feel could be a good entry point Anime. Princess Principal could be a great Anime for the people I know who are into New Pulp stuff. But I can't expect them to pay all that money just to checkout one show.
What's funny about Netflix is how for Western Television their Binge watching model is being viewed as the wave of the future, people think the success of the Marvel Defenders shows is making this the eventual new standard.
But for Western Anime fans it's basically the opposite, since we used to mostly not hear about shows till they were complete in Japan. The ability to now watch shows relatively close to when they first aired, especially doing so legally, is a new experience, so going back to waiting till we have a full season to binge feels like an attempt to turn the clock backwards.
Of course that wouldn't happen if the shows weren't airing on the normal weekly model in Japan. If the shows got made for the Binge model release to start with like Marvel's shows are, there would be no difference in how this practice is viewed for Anime and how it is for Western TV. What annoys Western Fans is being forced to wait for something others aren't. For centuries that was the unavoidable norm with imported media, but one of the benefits of the Internet is supposed to be tearing those walls down.
Thing is even for Western Television I think the Netflix model will turn out to be a fad. While I do want to see every show become Streamable once each episode airs. The experience of knowing that at a certain time many other fans are watching at the exact same time you are, and being able to live tweet and post on forums and groups about it as it airs and right after. And then spend a week speculating about what will happen next together. Is as fun for fans of Western TV as it is for Anime fans. I know this as someone who just finished spending 7 years as a PLL fan, and before that did TVD and Smallville. And so in time I think the novelty of what Netflix is doing will die out.
But in the meantime I wish Netflix would focus on giving Dubs for older shows that simply didn't get Dubbed. They tried that with "Glitter Force" but dropped the ball by Americanizing it. This time drop Saban and try another PreCure series, like maybe Suite, and do it properly this time. I'd also like to see Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, Rose of Versailles, and La Seine No Hoshi. And there is sure as heck a market out there for Legends of the Galactic Heroes. Also some of the Gundam series that fell thought the dubbing cracks like Turn A Gundam.
And/or get into the business of doing New Dubs for shows where the old one is flawed, or generally hated. Like Utena, or Higurashi, or their own failure with Smile Pretty Cure. Also really old stuff like Space Battleship Yamato, and a number of Mecha shows. For languages other then English, it sounds from what I hear like France deserves a do over on it's Rose of Versailles dub.
That leads me to thinking, perhaps in general the compromise should be giving us the Subbed version right away but then hyping the drop it all at once gimmick for the Dub.
Now even Sailor Moon can't be viewed without a subscription anymore. (And I inherently don't trust Free 30 day trails, my family has gotten billed for things we canceled before.)
Some of the few shows they do have I might feel inclined to try right now, after all I should maybe look at Vampire Knight for the Halloween Recommendations post I'm working on for October. But I don't have the ability to pay for it.
Amazon's double pay wall is people's main annoyance with it. What bugs me though is how none of the stuff Amazon gets seem to get Dubbed, unless I've missed something, I haven't really checked all of them, but they had Vivid Strike which ain't getting Dubbed. I'm still unclear how all the licensing stuff works. As someone who prefers Dubs, knowing every Netflix show will get Dubbed is a major relief.
Amazon most annoys me when it gets what I feel could be a good entry point Anime. Princess Principal could be a great Anime for the people I know who are into New Pulp stuff. But I can't expect them to pay all that money just to checkout one show.
What's funny about Netflix is how for Western Television their Binge watching model is being viewed as the wave of the future, people think the success of the Marvel Defenders shows is making this the eventual new standard.
But for Western Anime fans it's basically the opposite, since we used to mostly not hear about shows till they were complete in Japan. The ability to now watch shows relatively close to when they first aired, especially doing so legally, is a new experience, so going back to waiting till we have a full season to binge feels like an attempt to turn the clock backwards.
Of course that wouldn't happen if the shows weren't airing on the normal weekly model in Japan. If the shows got made for the Binge model release to start with like Marvel's shows are, there would be no difference in how this practice is viewed for Anime and how it is for Western TV. What annoys Western Fans is being forced to wait for something others aren't. For centuries that was the unavoidable norm with imported media, but one of the benefits of the Internet is supposed to be tearing those walls down.
Thing is even for Western Television I think the Netflix model will turn out to be a fad. While I do want to see every show become Streamable once each episode airs. The experience of knowing that at a certain time many other fans are watching at the exact same time you are, and being able to live tweet and post on forums and groups about it as it airs and right after. And then spend a week speculating about what will happen next together. Is as fun for fans of Western TV as it is for Anime fans. I know this as someone who just finished spending 7 years as a PLL fan, and before that did TVD and Smallville. And so in time I think the novelty of what Netflix is doing will die out.
But in the meantime I wish Netflix would focus on giving Dubs for older shows that simply didn't get Dubbed. They tried that with "Glitter Force" but dropped the ball by Americanizing it. This time drop Saban and try another PreCure series, like maybe Suite, and do it properly this time. I'd also like to see Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, Rose of Versailles, and La Seine No Hoshi. And there is sure as heck a market out there for Legends of the Galactic Heroes. Also some of the Gundam series that fell thought the dubbing cracks like Turn A Gundam.
And/or get into the business of doing New Dubs for shows where the old one is flawed, or generally hated. Like Utena, or Higurashi, or their own failure with Smile Pretty Cure. Also really old stuff like Space Battleship Yamato, and a number of Mecha shows. For languages other then English, it sounds from what I hear like France deserves a do over on it's Rose of Versailles dub.
That leads me to thinking, perhaps in general the compromise should be giving us the Subbed version right away but then hyping the drop it all at once gimmick for the Dub.
Kong: Skull Island was an effective Anti-War film
I've read a lot about how so many Anti-War films, from Apocalypse Now to Jarhead seem to intentionally or not undermine themselves. Because Soldiers watching the movie will cheer on the violence no matter what.
I'm starting to wonder if maybe this is the one kind of message that is better served by a Popcorn Comic Booky kinds of films then something taken 100% seriously. Because in these films the idea that the audience will gain some pleasure watching what the film is actually criticizing is just an accepted thing we're used to.
We have the story of American and Japanese WWII soldiers who became good friends when they were stranded on the island and borders no longer mattered. We have a character who's blinded by War being all he knows. The line about sometimes there only being an enemy if you're looking for one. The whole plot can be read as a commentary on Vietnam, which in turn can be compared to the wars we're fighting today, with so many people caring more about if we "Win" then if we're right.
Wonder Woman was going for something similar. Wonder Woman was a great Superhero origin film, but Skull Island is more effective at the Anti-War message.
But perhaps the best as this is the Gundam franchise. I still haven't seen much Gundam myself yet, but I know it's reputation is for being very effective at sending a War is Hell message.
I'm starting to wonder if maybe this is the one kind of message that is better served by a Popcorn Comic Booky kinds of films then something taken 100% seriously. Because in these films the idea that the audience will gain some pleasure watching what the film is actually criticizing is just an accepted thing we're used to.
We have the story of American and Japanese WWII soldiers who became good friends when they were stranded on the island and borders no longer mattered. We have a character who's blinded by War being all he knows. The line about sometimes there only being an enemy if you're looking for one. The whole plot can be read as a commentary on Vietnam, which in turn can be compared to the wars we're fighting today, with so many people caring more about if we "Win" then if we're right.
Wonder Woman was going for something similar. Wonder Woman was a great Superhero origin film, but Skull Island is more effective at the Anti-War message.
But perhaps the best as this is the Gundam franchise. I still haven't seen much Gundam myself yet, but I know it's reputation is for being very effective at sending a War is Hell message.
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
I don't like the 2009 animated Wonder Woman movie
A lot of people seemed to like it, and I don't get why. Before we had a Live Action Wonder Woman movie people kept saying this is what it should be like. Now that we do have one, (one I still highly recommend, if you haven't seen it yet you need to), I haven't yet seen anyone say that animated movie was better, but I have seen people while praising the Gal Gadot film overall saying they preferred the 2009 cartoon's Ares at least.
I can't relate even to that. First of all how Ares looked in that animated movie isn't justified by the Comics which usually revolved around us not seeing his face at all. But either way I don't care how Ares looked in the Comics, I know that the Ancient Greeks took pride in that their gods looked like Human beings and not animals like the gods of the "Barbarians" (since they took too literally certain Mesopotamian and Egyptians depictions of their gods). Ares in the 2009 animated movie looked like they were going for a vaguely Final Fantasy or Anime look, and not a very informed one.
This movie's issues are different from my general issues with this DTV animated film line that I laid out in the Year One post. Since it was not a direct adaptation of anything they designed it to fit the 70 minute run-time well, and I can't really complain about the voice acting either.
The Ares complaint above is just the most superficial, alongside my being annoyed how Hades was depicted, and having Hippolyta have a child with Ares. Those mistakes also parallel things I dislike in an equivalent way in the 2017 film, and so clearly are things I could get over.
What I can't forgive is Trevor and Diana's relationship revolving around him mansplaining to her about gender relations. That's literally the opposite of what I wanted from that relationship. And I have seen other feminists express the same complaint, in a comments section on the DCWomenKickingAss Tumblr.
I was also really annoyed by the Persephone character, and her ranting to Hippolyta in their fight at the end. The last thing I want to hear in a Wonder Woman movie is a moral about how women need men.
Basically it managed to undermine everything Wonder Woman should be about.
The only redeeming value it has is the Alexa character, voiced very well by the great Tara Strong. I liked her, and could enjoy seeing her re-imagined in a better Wonder Woman story.
But that's not enough to save it, and so every time I see Angry Joe say this stupid thing is how Wonder Woman should be, I want to punch my computer screen.
Now that we have a good Wonder Woman movie staring Gal Gadot, we no longer need to settle for this crap, just ignore it and act like it never existed.
Hopefully we will get the Animated movie staring Lynda Carter that has been rumored since the Adam West and Burt Ward animated movie did well (Rest In Peace in Adam West). And then we can finally have an at least respectable animated Wonder Woman.
Update: So this TheMarySue Article came out in 2019 that is pretty similar to my thoughts here.
https://www.themarysue.com/wonder-woman-2009-not-good/
I can't relate even to that. First of all how Ares looked in that animated movie isn't justified by the Comics which usually revolved around us not seeing his face at all. But either way I don't care how Ares looked in the Comics, I know that the Ancient Greeks took pride in that their gods looked like Human beings and not animals like the gods of the "Barbarians" (since they took too literally certain Mesopotamian and Egyptians depictions of their gods). Ares in the 2009 animated movie looked like they were going for a vaguely Final Fantasy or Anime look, and not a very informed one.
This movie's issues are different from my general issues with this DTV animated film line that I laid out in the Year One post. Since it was not a direct adaptation of anything they designed it to fit the 70 minute run-time well, and I can't really complain about the voice acting either.
The Ares complaint above is just the most superficial, alongside my being annoyed how Hades was depicted, and having Hippolyta have a child with Ares. Those mistakes also parallel things I dislike in an equivalent way in the 2017 film, and so clearly are things I could get over.
What I can't forgive is Trevor and Diana's relationship revolving around him mansplaining to her about gender relations. That's literally the opposite of what I wanted from that relationship. And I have seen other feminists express the same complaint, in a comments section on the DCWomenKickingAss Tumblr.
I was also really annoyed by the Persephone character, and her ranting to Hippolyta in their fight at the end. The last thing I want to hear in a Wonder Woman movie is a moral about how women need men.
Basically it managed to undermine everything Wonder Woman should be about.
The only redeeming value it has is the Alexa character, voiced very well by the great Tara Strong. I liked her, and could enjoy seeing her re-imagined in a better Wonder Woman story.
But that's not enough to save it, and so every time I see Angry Joe say this stupid thing is how Wonder Woman should be, I want to punch my computer screen.
Now that we have a good Wonder Woman movie staring Gal Gadot, we no longer need to settle for this crap, just ignore it and act like it never existed.
Hopefully we will get the Animated movie staring Lynda Carter that has been rumored since the Adam West and Burt Ward animated movie did well (Rest In Peace in Adam West). And then we can finally have an at least respectable animated Wonder Woman.
Update: So this TheMarySue Article came out in 2019 that is pretty similar to my thoughts here.
https://www.themarysue.com/wonder-woman-2009-not-good/
Monday, July 24, 2017
I just saw the Teen Titans Judas Contract animated movie.
It was enjoyable, the films in this New52 series seem to get better as they go along. Much of it in this case however is drawing on the original Judas Contract story, more so then the 2000s Cartoon did.
The lack of Jericho I expected. They tried to make Damien's history with Drathstroke in this universe relevant to the story even though it really still wasn't.
The biggest disappointment for me was them flat out not showing the battle between Terra and Raven. That was one of the few things I enjoyed about the 2000s show's version of the story. And the main moment in this particular film where I thought "if only it wasn't limited to 70 minutes" again. But then I noticed this run-time is 84 minutes, so they are letting them get a little longer now, but I still think at least a full 90 is necessary for a story like this.
But I have to talk about Terra's characterization, once again we have an adaptation of the story trying to make her less unrepentantly evil. Now it's weird of me to complain about this since I in-general like depth in characters and like when villains can be redeemed. In fact that came up in a recent Reblog I did on Tumblr. However it only bothers me when a story goes out of it's way to send an anti-redemption message. Terra was a character who never sought redemption, and that really made her stand out compared to other mole/traitor stories in this genre.
However what really makes their characterization of Terra odd here is how they are throwing this aspect into it, even though some moments they want to have play out exactly like in the original Comic. And so that makes some of Terra's inconsistencies seem less like she's conflicted and more like two different writing philosophies were behind this character.
We got a tease of Donna Troy at the end, I'll watch another of these Teen Titans films if it means we get more of her.
And that leads me to the subject of casting. None of the main cast of this film, protagonists or antagonists, really wowed me.
Now with these New52 films I don't know how much of the problem is hiring people who don't specialize in voice acting, since I mostly don't even know who these actors are. It may just as much be my personal preference for the voice acting done in Anime dubs. And this is a great film to return to that subject on because....
Crispin Freeman was in it, as two characters. I recognized him immediately as "Scientist" a character who spoke in only one scene he was in. That moment was the most my ears perked up listening to this, and it was all wasted. In the credits I noticed he was also Speedy in the 5 years earlier flashback at the beginning. In that role he showed he had more range then even I thought. Still it was another small role. To WB/DC the cream of the crop of Anime Dub actors is merely a filler actor for roles you won't waste an expensive star on.
Crispin Freeman should have been Brother Blood, just think about how awesome he is as roles like Kotomine Kirei, he'd have been perfect for Brother Blood. Instead we got the lamest most uninspired cult leader I've ever heard.
This Slade had his moments, but I still prefer Ron Pearlman, an opinion that arguably goes against the general philosophy I've expressed here.
All of the Titans themselves could have been improved by Anime actors. This Raven in particular is such a disappointment to me, and not like it is for others who are nostalgic for Terra Strong's Raven. Tara Strong is great but Raven was not her best role. In my opinion we still don't have an ideal Raven voice. There are several Anime Dub actresses who could make a great Raven.
Now if Warner does want to take advice for the future. Get Kari Walgren for Donna Troy, a voice similar to what she does for Saber/Artoria could be great for Troia.
The lack of Jericho I expected. They tried to make Damien's history with Drathstroke in this universe relevant to the story even though it really still wasn't.
The biggest disappointment for me was them flat out not showing the battle between Terra and Raven. That was one of the few things I enjoyed about the 2000s show's version of the story. And the main moment in this particular film where I thought "if only it wasn't limited to 70 minutes" again. But then I noticed this run-time is 84 minutes, so they are letting them get a little longer now, but I still think at least a full 90 is necessary for a story like this.
But I have to talk about Terra's characterization, once again we have an adaptation of the story trying to make her less unrepentantly evil. Now it's weird of me to complain about this since I in-general like depth in characters and like when villains can be redeemed. In fact that came up in a recent Reblog I did on Tumblr. However it only bothers me when a story goes out of it's way to send an anti-redemption message. Terra was a character who never sought redemption, and that really made her stand out compared to other mole/traitor stories in this genre.
However what really makes their characterization of Terra odd here is how they are throwing this aspect into it, even though some moments they want to have play out exactly like in the original Comic. And so that makes some of Terra's inconsistencies seem less like she's conflicted and more like two different writing philosophies were behind this character.
We got a tease of Donna Troy at the end, I'll watch another of these Teen Titans films if it means we get more of her.
And that leads me to the subject of casting. None of the main cast of this film, protagonists or antagonists, really wowed me.
Now with these New52 films I don't know how much of the problem is hiring people who don't specialize in voice acting, since I mostly don't even know who these actors are. It may just as much be my personal preference for the voice acting done in Anime dubs. And this is a great film to return to that subject on because....
Crispin Freeman was in it, as two characters. I recognized him immediately as "Scientist" a character who spoke in only one scene he was in. That moment was the most my ears perked up listening to this, and it was all wasted. In the credits I noticed he was also Speedy in the 5 years earlier flashback at the beginning. In that role he showed he had more range then even I thought. Still it was another small role. To WB/DC the cream of the crop of Anime Dub actors is merely a filler actor for roles you won't waste an expensive star on.
Crispin Freeman should have been Brother Blood, just think about how awesome he is as roles like Kotomine Kirei, he'd have been perfect for Brother Blood. Instead we got the lamest most uninspired cult leader I've ever heard.
This Slade had his moments, but I still prefer Ron Pearlman, an opinion that arguably goes against the general philosophy I've expressed here.
All of the Titans themselves could have been improved by Anime actors. This Raven in particular is such a disappointment to me, and not like it is for others who are nostalgic for Terra Strong's Raven. Tara Strong is great but Raven was not her best role. In my opinion we still don't have an ideal Raven voice. There are several Anime Dub actresses who could make a great Raven.
Now if Warner does want to take advice for the future. Get Kari Walgren for Donna Troy, a voice similar to what she does for Saber/Artoria could be great for Troia.
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