May 5th, 2013
Anime All-nighter SCI-FI London
Anime Relations: Street Fighter II Movie, Loups=Garous, Berserk: Ougon Jidai-hen I - Haou no Tamago, 009 Re:Cyborg
Hello, this is going to be quite the read so settle down and prepare to be shocked and appalled by the various views and opinions as I travel to the distant land of Lon Don to attend my third Anime All-Nighter.
It's always a great event, it's obvious the people running the festival really care about the show and do a great deal to make the whole thing as comfortable and fun as possible. The atmosphere in the audience is always very positive and welcoming too, again with a great crowd who are there to enjoy themselves and make everyone feel welcome (not that I talked much to others being scared of everyone in the world of course)
No matter the quality of the films it's always a fun night out (literally a whole night) and if you haven't gone before I'd highly advise it, with free DVDs, drinks, food, books and fun (AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA) it's well worth the price.
So yeah, now opinions, if any of my reviews sound ignorant of previous anime productions related to these films then that's because I am:
009 RE: Cyborg
This was quite the odd film, some may even call it a mess in a lot of ways, I've got to say though it sure was pretty to look at. Maybe I'm being biased due to this being the first 3D anime film I've watched but it had some beautiful visuals, the main one of note being the destruction of the skyscrapers at the very start made great use of the depth and created a very pretty cityscape.
When I think about the film as a whole that's probably my main complaint, it seems like a lot of it was set up just so they can show you these amazing looking spectacles. The characters weren't exactly engaging in any meaningful way, that's not to say they didn't feel poorly written or hollow, I even liked the wacky chef guy and the conflicted guy who is half jet called (wait for it) Jet, but they weren't at all memorable. Ironically I'd say the protagonist was the worst offender on this account, he starts off with some conflict in his life and even some problems that could have given some depth to him where it was otherwise lacking, but as the film gets going he seems to soon forget about that and ends up feeling just like a bland anime hero by the end of it.
After a little bit of googling I hear this is based on a manga so I'm assuming that it was the fault of film format for a lot of meat of the plot being perhaps cut off due to the running length. The revelation of the movies' main threat for example seemed kind of pooly explained and a little unclear for a while, a lot of threads weren't that cleanly resolved and it seems like there is a lot of room for expansion. I'm not familiar with the character so perhaps I've some conjoining piece of media that can make this world feel a lot more clear to me, certainly I can't deny that there weren't a lot of unique ideas and concepts in there, it just felt like there wasn't enough time to explore them.
It was a fun, action packed feast for the eyes at very least and it started the night with a bang, even if it seemed to leave a lot of people puzzling over some of it's more radical ideas.
Beserk Golden Age Arc 1
There was quite the struggle to get this one running in the cinema with sound, though the audience was happy enough to provide their own audio track for the first scene (gave a new meaning to the term surround sound)
I've heard some positive things about this series before (though apparently the tv version ends in a somewhat unsatisfying manner) and I did enjoy this first volume. It's kind of strange that I found it so pleasant in a way, as a film it was weirdly paced (the major confrontation at least in an action sense comes in the third quarter of the film, not to say the fourth doesn't pack a punch but it does slow down significantly) and there is a lot to be expanded upon. That being said I enjoyed the glimpse of the world I was given and it is obvious that there is a lot more to some of the characters than what was obvious at first glance.
I've heard the blending of 3D and traditional animation gets a lot more seamless as well in the later films (not that I personally had any problems with how this first one looked) and it gets a lot more shocking and interesting later on so I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops. Hopefully they'll be able to show the next part in October.
(It's odd, perhaps the film I enjoyed the most I have the least amount of stuff to say about it)
War of the Worlds Goliath
Though I am familiar with the infamous radio broadcast version Orson Welles performed (I appreciated the little nod to this through the protagonist's name) and the Tom Cruise remake (which I actually found quite good at the time despite a mixed critical reaction) I can't say I have some sort of comprehensive knowledge of the franchise. Despite this I can't say the idea of tripods fighting steampunkish (the technology in the film was all over the place) trench like mechs was a pretty exciting one and though I respect that the film was done on a small budget I can't say I was a fan
My main problem being there was probably too much focus on action, as I said they had limited funds to work with here and a lot of scenes used very repetitive explosion and firing effects (some of the flames in particularly were kind of cringe worthy) I just found myself very bored with the constant gunfire of the film and think if perhaps they had focused on reducing the major war scenes down in length even scale they could have been able to produce something choreographed a lot better and with a lot more tension and detail to it.
Unfortunately, the ARES team themselves weren't strong enough to make the actions scenes more bearable, they were essentially a group of stereotypes (the irsh guy likes drinking, the chinese guy has a ridiculous moustache, the german guy is weirdly violent) and their motivations and interactions are clichéd at best.
I didn't really enjoy the style that the main crew were drawn in either, it was a weird blend between some recognisable anime features (yeah real helpful description) and sort a Bruce Timm DC animated universe look that just didn't blend very well, perhaps if the animation was smoother it wouldn't have been so noticeable but it wasn't really better than your average Saturday morning kids cartoon like a He-man (there was a distinct lack of the power in this film)
There were some positives to the film, the moden tripod design and the human vehicle designs in general were pretty cool looking and there were some great background paintings and scenes of nice looking destroyed environments (when I'm complementing the backgrounds of a film it's pretty obvious I have a problem with it)
I could probably write a lot more about my problems, but I think you get the picture, the all-nighter is great in that is shows you a large variety of stuff in all different styles and genres so even though they can't all be winners I can't fault them for having this in their line-up.
Street Fighter 2: All Streets Must Die
Video games movies are bad in vast majority of cases, this isn't limited to just live-action any more either with the Dead Space films showing that animation can be just as terrible. In fact I was kind of dreading this film in a way, partly due to being quite tired by this point and finding the notion of staying awake hard when faced with the story of some guys who like fighting on streets (fighting games known for their rich shakespearian dialogue and complex, stunning plot lines, foresoth Ryu dideth hiteth that guyeth)
I have to say though, I found this film pretty fun, as expected the storyline was pretty dumb and nonsensical in a lot of ways, Vega going around the world kidnapping and brainwashing various fighters in order to perform terrorist activities. To be honest though it never had to be more than that, like DBZ or something of that nature we are all here to see the fights and they delivered. Well animated scenes that actually had you guessing who the victor was going to win, incorporating the fighting styles and moves of the game faithfully while updating them to fit the cinematic format, some nice bits of humour thrown in there (a little of it unintentional but mostly on purpose)
If my review seems glowing so far I do have to mention the film slows down a lot half way through, it seems to go 20 minutes or so without any sort of fight and as I said the plot won't win them any awards so this time to reflect on it was kind of unnecessary. It really picks up again for one last climatic battle and finishes on one of the best endings I can think of in recent history (that Vega just keeps on trucking wink wink nudge nudge)
LOUPS=GAROUS
The cinema was starting to clear out by this point and even my friend had to make an exit, I had heard some grumbling from the crowd that this wasn't going to be the strong finish to the night that I was hoping for (even after unexpectedly enjoying Street Fighter a great deal) At very least I had my own row of chairs to myself at this point so I stretch out a little (MORE CHAIR NEWS AS IT BREAKS!!!1)
Would I have been justified in leaving the cinema with the rest of the audience, I'm going to say no, this film certainly doesn't set the world on fire or shake up the world of anime in a revolutionary way (I'd say one of it's biggest weaknesses is it's use of familiar anime tropes, mysterious loners, big emotional speeches, shocking dark twists) I did enjoy the look of the film, it had quite a bold but simplistic look to it with all the main cast rendered with quite thick outlines and even had some nice lighting and fight scenes at a couple of points.
The premise was quite original, in a world where people depend on technology for the simplest of communication and more often talk to people through a screen rather than to their face (could this be some sort of commentary on the REAL WORLD, COULD IT, BOOM, MIND BLOWN) and a dependence on synthetic food due to the ravages of a disease wiping out the alternative, a string of murders has occurred and it's up to a gang of plucky young school kids to save the day (okay maybe that part isn't so unique)
The case unravels at a steady pace and I'll admit I found myself getting intrigued by some of the twists and turns, the final reveal was even quite satisfying even if the main villain may as well have been wearing a top hat and tying people to train tracks. My biggest problem being that when the team finally do come face to face with the him/her (no spoilers) in charge of these nefarious deeds it's over far too quickly and in the most stunningly anticlimactic way I have seen in a long long time (though I'll admit a little funny)
Overall I'd say this isn't a film you should go out of your way to see, but there are far worse ways to spend an hour and a half or so of your time.
So that's it, overall a mixed bag but a fun night overall and I am greatly looking forward to later in the year when they run the next one. If this blog doesn't make sense at all, please forgive me for it was all-night and I'm a little messed up sleepwise still.
It's always a great event, it's obvious the people running the festival really care about the show and do a great deal to make the whole thing as comfortable and fun as possible. The atmosphere in the audience is always very positive and welcoming too, again with a great crowd who are there to enjoy themselves and make everyone feel welcome (not that I talked much to others being scared of everyone in the world of course)
No matter the quality of the films it's always a fun night out (literally a whole night) and if you haven't gone before I'd highly advise it, with free DVDs, drinks, food, books and fun (AHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHA) it's well worth the price.
So yeah, now opinions, if any of my reviews sound ignorant of previous anime productions related to these films then that's because I am:
009 RE: Cyborg
This was quite the odd film, some may even call it a mess in a lot of ways, I've got to say though it sure was pretty to look at. Maybe I'm being biased due to this being the first 3D anime film I've watched but it had some beautiful visuals, the main one of note being the destruction of the skyscrapers at the very start made great use of the depth and created a very pretty cityscape.
When I think about the film as a whole that's probably my main complaint, it seems like a lot of it was set up just so they can show you these amazing looking spectacles. The characters weren't exactly engaging in any meaningful way, that's not to say they didn't feel poorly written or hollow, I even liked the wacky chef guy and the conflicted guy who is half jet called (wait for it) Jet, but they weren't at all memorable. Ironically I'd say the protagonist was the worst offender on this account, he starts off with some conflict in his life and even some problems that could have given some depth to him where it was otherwise lacking, but as the film gets going he seems to soon forget about that and ends up feeling just like a bland anime hero by the end of it.
After a little bit of googling I hear this is based on a manga so I'm assuming that it was the fault of film format for a lot of meat of the plot being perhaps cut off due to the running length. The revelation of the movies' main threat for example seemed kind of pooly explained and a little unclear for a while, a lot of threads weren't that cleanly resolved and it seems like there is a lot of room for expansion. I'm not familiar with the character so perhaps I've some conjoining piece of media that can make this world feel a lot more clear to me, certainly I can't deny that there weren't a lot of unique ideas and concepts in there, it just felt like there wasn't enough time to explore them.
It was a fun, action packed feast for the eyes at very least and it started the night with a bang, even if it seemed to leave a lot of people puzzling over some of it's more radical ideas.
Beserk Golden Age Arc 1
There was quite the struggle to get this one running in the cinema with sound, though the audience was happy enough to provide their own audio track for the first scene (gave a new meaning to the term surround sound)
I've heard some positive things about this series before (though apparently the tv version ends in a somewhat unsatisfying manner) and I did enjoy this first volume. It's kind of strange that I found it so pleasant in a way, as a film it was weirdly paced (the major confrontation at least in an action sense comes in the third quarter of the film, not to say the fourth doesn't pack a punch but it does slow down significantly) and there is a lot to be expanded upon. That being said I enjoyed the glimpse of the world I was given and it is obvious that there is a lot more to some of the characters than what was obvious at first glance.
I've heard the blending of 3D and traditional animation gets a lot more seamless as well in the later films (not that I personally had any problems with how this first one looked) and it gets a lot more shocking and interesting later on so I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops. Hopefully they'll be able to show the next part in October.
(It's odd, perhaps the film I enjoyed the most I have the least amount of stuff to say about it)
War of the Worlds Goliath
Though I am familiar with the infamous radio broadcast version Orson Welles performed (I appreciated the little nod to this through the protagonist's name) and the Tom Cruise remake (which I actually found quite good at the time despite a mixed critical reaction) I can't say I have some sort of comprehensive knowledge of the franchise. Despite this I can't say the idea of tripods fighting steampunkish (the technology in the film was all over the place) trench like mechs was a pretty exciting one and though I respect that the film was done on a small budget I can't say I was a fan
My main problem being there was probably too much focus on action, as I said they had limited funds to work with here and a lot of scenes used very repetitive explosion and firing effects (some of the flames in particularly were kind of cringe worthy) I just found myself very bored with the constant gunfire of the film and think if perhaps they had focused on reducing the major war scenes down in length even scale they could have been able to produce something choreographed a lot better and with a lot more tension and detail to it.
Unfortunately, the ARES team themselves weren't strong enough to make the actions scenes more bearable, they were essentially a group of stereotypes (the irsh guy likes drinking, the chinese guy has a ridiculous moustache, the german guy is weirdly violent) and their motivations and interactions are clichéd at best.
I didn't really enjoy the style that the main crew were drawn in either, it was a weird blend between some recognisable anime features (yeah real helpful description) and sort a Bruce Timm DC animated universe look that just didn't blend very well, perhaps if the animation was smoother it wouldn't have been so noticeable but it wasn't really better than your average Saturday morning kids cartoon like a He-man (there was a distinct lack of the power in this film)
There were some positives to the film, the moden tripod design and the human vehicle designs in general were pretty cool looking and there were some great background paintings and scenes of nice looking destroyed environments (when I'm complementing the backgrounds of a film it's pretty obvious I have a problem with it)
I could probably write a lot more about my problems, but I think you get the picture, the all-nighter is great in that is shows you a large variety of stuff in all different styles and genres so even though they can't all be winners I can't fault them for having this in their line-up.
Street Fighter 2: All Streets Must Die
Video games movies are bad in vast majority of cases, this isn't limited to just live-action any more either with the Dead Space films showing that animation can be just as terrible. In fact I was kind of dreading this film in a way, partly due to being quite tired by this point and finding the notion of staying awake hard when faced with the story of some guys who like fighting on streets (fighting games known for their rich shakespearian dialogue and complex, stunning plot lines, foresoth Ryu dideth hiteth that guyeth)
I have to say though, I found this film pretty fun, as expected the storyline was pretty dumb and nonsensical in a lot of ways, Vega going around the world kidnapping and brainwashing various fighters in order to perform terrorist activities. To be honest though it never had to be more than that, like DBZ or something of that nature we are all here to see the fights and they delivered. Well animated scenes that actually had you guessing who the victor was going to win, incorporating the fighting styles and moves of the game faithfully while updating them to fit the cinematic format, some nice bits of humour thrown in there (a little of it unintentional but mostly on purpose)
If my review seems glowing so far I do have to mention the film slows down a lot half way through, it seems to go 20 minutes or so without any sort of fight and as I said the plot won't win them any awards so this time to reflect on it was kind of unnecessary. It really picks up again for one last climatic battle and finishes on one of the best endings I can think of in recent history (that Vega just keeps on trucking wink wink nudge nudge)
LOUPS=GAROUS
The cinema was starting to clear out by this point and even my friend had to make an exit, I had heard some grumbling from the crowd that this wasn't going to be the strong finish to the night that I was hoping for (even after unexpectedly enjoying Street Fighter a great deal) At very least I had my own row of chairs to myself at this point so I stretch out a little (MORE CHAIR NEWS AS IT BREAKS!!!1)
Would I have been justified in leaving the cinema with the rest of the audience, I'm going to say no, this film certainly doesn't set the world on fire or shake up the world of anime in a revolutionary way (I'd say one of it's biggest weaknesses is it's use of familiar anime tropes, mysterious loners, big emotional speeches, shocking dark twists) I did enjoy the look of the film, it had quite a bold but simplistic look to it with all the main cast rendered with quite thick outlines and even had some nice lighting and fight scenes at a couple of points.
The premise was quite original, in a world where people depend on technology for the simplest of communication and more often talk to people through a screen rather than to their face (could this be some sort of commentary on the REAL WORLD, COULD IT, BOOM, MIND BLOWN) and a dependence on synthetic food due to the ravages of a disease wiping out the alternative, a string of murders has occurred and it's up to a gang of plucky young school kids to save the day (okay maybe that part isn't so unique)
The case unravels at a steady pace and I'll admit I found myself getting intrigued by some of the twists and turns, the final reveal was even quite satisfying even if the main villain may as well have been wearing a top hat and tying people to train tracks. My biggest problem being that when the team finally do come face to face with the him/her (no spoilers) in charge of these nefarious deeds it's over far too quickly and in the most stunningly anticlimactic way I have seen in a long long time (though I'll admit a little funny)
Overall I'd say this isn't a film you should go out of your way to see, but there are far worse ways to spend an hour and a half or so of your time.
So that's it, overall a mixed bag but a fun night overall and I am greatly looking forward to later in the year when they run the next one. If this blog doesn't make sense at all, please forgive me for it was all-night and I'm a little messed up sleepwise still.
Posted by Eidderf | May 5, 2013 5:44 PM | 0 comments
March 9th, 2009
hddghghdgshd
thsfshngfhtrtrhtrhtsthstshthththrhthrtthtththrrhtttfth
eeerrgh
eeerrgh
Posted by Eidderf | Mar 9, 2009 2:35 PM | 0 comments
August 30th, 2008
HELLO
THE WEBSITE TOLD ME TO MAKE A BLOG SO I THOUGHT I SHOULD, MY NAME IS FREDDIE AND I DRAW THINGS I HAVE MADE CARTOONS LIKE THIS:
Bingo
Marrow
Robot
Ricky Gervais Christmas song
FROM READING REVIEWS I HAVE GATHERED I AM NOT GOOD ENOUGH I HOPE TO CHANGE THIS BY IMPROVING
THANK YOU
Bingo
Marrow
Robot
Ricky Gervais Christmas song
FROM READING REVIEWS I HAVE GATHERED I AM NOT GOOD ENOUGH I HOPE TO CHANGE THIS BY IMPROVING
THANK YOU
Posted by Eidderf | Aug 30, 2008 7:08 PM | 3 comments