ANIME and ANIMATION recommendations
(links lead to DVDs at RightStuf.com or Amazon.com)
Case Closed (Detective Conan)
I saw this show a few years back when it was being fansubbed. Though some episodes are just mediocre, I've found that most of the episodes that I've seen were really enjoyable. Though the Funimation releases fall short in a couple of places -- the English voice cast and English theme songs -- the original Japanese audio with English subs is included on the DVDs, so it's easy to hear it as it was meant to be heard. I DO appreciate Funimation bringing this show to America! I just wish that it were possible for a great anime series to come here without complete disregard for how the characters ORIGINALLY sounded. Or at least some attempt to match how the character looks to the voice actor! WHY IS THE PROFESSOR A GERMAN?! Why is Conan a woman?! Okay. I'm done ranting. This is a VERY good show, the first movie is ultra-good, and it's certainly something I hope a lot of people give a try, because I'd like to see it succeed long enough to allow for plenty of domestic releases of movies and episodes.
One Piece
Fox will air One Piece as part of it's FoxBox Saturday morning lineup in the Fall of 2004. I can practically guarantee that there will be massive editing (unless Fox plans to be sued by about 3 billion anti-tobacco groups!), which is a shame, because this show deserves to be seen as it was made! It will be interesting to see whether 4Kids Entertainment provides uncut DVDs. For now, the graphic novels are available at Rightstuf.com. I'll just link to the first two here, and plan to link to any DVDs as they become available!
Naruto
There is no word that the Naruto anime will be distributed by a U.S. company yet, but rest assured it's only a matter of time before that day comes. This show is going to take off so fast if they would just bring it here intact! Until they bring the anime, I'll provide links to the first two graphic novels.
Trigun
When I saw the first episode of Trigun, I immediately knew that it was going to be one of my favorite anime series. And by the time I'd finished watching the last episode, it was. The characters and individual episodes make for good watchins, and the underlying storyline builds up at a nice pace.
Irresponsible Captain Tylor
I've not seen the OVA, but the Tylor TV series (26 episodes) is certainly among my favorite anime series. And with the VHS versions costing 4 bucks each, and with 8 tapes in all, the price is very nice! The DVDs cost quite a bit more, but that's because they're DVDs.
The Castle of Cagliostro
You may wonder why I didn't use the heading "LUPIN the 3RD" instead of the specific movie title. Well, the reason for this is that if you're anything like me, seeing the name LUPIN the 3RD would probably make you think, "Wow, what a cool concept, too bad that the show is really sub-par alot of the time!" But This movie, "The Castle of Cagliostro," makes all other Lupin III episodes and movies fall by the wayside! An early work by Hayao Miyazaki, famed for his famous works such as
"PANDA, PANDA, EAT MORE PANDA!" and
"My Neighbor is a Giant Cat-Thing", it has the kind of rewatchability that no episode of Blossom can boast (except the one where Six gets digested by the rattlesnake).
Y'know, I'll actually list a couple other Miyazaki things here, because I guess they're coming to DVD at the end of August 2004, and just one movie here all by itself would be lonely. And I truly rank Nausicaa and Porco Rosso up there with my favorite anime movies, too, so it's not like I'm making this stuff up!
Futurama
Futurama is just one of those great animated shows that keeps on giving. Sure, there are a couple of episodes that feel a bit lacking, but the majority are just ultra-super-grade-A! Just imagine waking up in the year 3000, but with HUMOR! That about sums it up!
- Futurama - Volumes 1-3 - Get the first three volumes all together at a lower price than buying them separately! Or buy them separately, JERK!
- Futurama, Vol. 4 - The fourth volume, only available by itself at the moment, probably because it so completely stands alone as having some of the best storylines of the series! Most mentionable include: "A Taste of Freedom," "The Sting," "The Farnsworth Parabox," and "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings."
Adult Swim DVDs
Adult Swim presents a variety of shows on Cartoon Network aimed at the 14+ age groups. Some of the programs became instant classics. Others became objects of ridicule. Here's a couple of the instant classics!
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force - Vol. 1 & Vol. 2 - Seasons 1 and 2 of the adventures of Frylock, Meatwad, Master Shake, Carl, and a cast of MILLIONS, this is THE show for people with a sense of humor that extends beyond the edges of reality! Want an individual volume? Here they be!
- Sealab 2021 - Season 1 - Finally on DVD, Sealab 2021, using state of the art ANIMATECHNOLOGICATIFICATION, presents unique murder mysteries for the whole family to solve: NEVER.
