May 5th, 2018
Galaxy Express 999 Episode Ratings
Anime Relations: Ginga Tetsudou 999
I decided rating each episode of Galaxy Express 999 might be a useful thing to do, that way if I ever want to go back and rewatch, I know which episodes to skip. I will mark which episodes seem to advance the plot or characters and give reasons why. I only had this idea at episode 19, however, so up until that point I may accidentally skip episodes that did advance the overarching story. Oops.
Ep.1 - 10/10 (Plot - Essential for obvious reasons.)
Ep.2 - 8/10
Ep.3 - 10/10 (Plot - Tetsuro gets his hat, cape, and gun.)
Ep.4 - 7/10 (Plot - Don't remember what. Will rewatch.)
Ep.5 - 8/10
Ep.6 - 6/10
Ep.7 & 8 - 7/10
Ep.9 & 10 - 9/10
Ep.11 - 1/10
Ep.12 & 13 - 8/10
Ep.14 - 7/10
Ep.15 - 4/10
Ep.16 - 4/10
Ep.17 - 4/10
Ep.18 - 5/10
Ep.19 - 6/10
Ep.20 - 8/10
Ep.21 - 2/10
Ep.22 - 10/10 (Plot - Queen Emeraldas is introduced. It is mentioned Maetel can't die.)
Ep.23 - 3/10
Ep.24 - 4/10
Ep.25 - 5/10
Ep.26 - 7/10
Ep.27 - 8/10 (Plot - Tetsuro and Maetel talk about his parents.)
Ep.28 - 5/10 (Plot - Maetel shows her body to an old man, confirming something about her isn't normal. Some rules of the Galaxy Express 999 are set as well, though they contradict rules previously set.)
Ep.29 - 7/10 (Plot - Tetsuro saves Maetel on his own the first time and refuses to leave on the 999 without her. Their relationship develops.)
Ep.30 - 7/10
Ep.31 - 10/10 (Plot - Friends of Count Mecha attempt to assassinate Tetsuro)
Ep.1 - 10/10 (Plot - Essential for obvious reasons.)
Ep.2 - 8/10
Ep.3 - 10/10 (Plot - Tetsuro gets his hat, cape, and gun.)
Ep.4 - 7/10 (Plot - Don't remember what. Will rewatch.)
Ep.5 - 8/10
Ep.6 - 6/10
Ep.7 & 8 - 7/10
Ep.9 & 10 - 9/10
Ep.11 - 1/10
Ep.12 & 13 - 8/10
Ep.14 - 7/10
Ep.15 - 4/10
Ep.16 - 4/10
Ep.17 - 4/10
Ep.18 - 5/10
Ep.19 - 6/10
Ep.20 - 8/10
Ep.21 - 2/10
Ep.22 - 10/10 (Plot - Queen Emeraldas is introduced. It is mentioned Maetel can't die.)
Ep.23 - 3/10
Ep.24 - 4/10
Ep.25 - 5/10
Ep.26 - 7/10
Ep.27 - 8/10 (Plot - Tetsuro and Maetel talk about his parents.)
Ep.28 - 5/10 (Plot - Maetel shows her body to an old man, confirming something about her isn't normal. Some rules of the Galaxy Express 999 are set as well, though they contradict rules previously set.)
Ep.29 - 7/10 (Plot - Tetsuro saves Maetel on his own the first time and refuses to leave on the 999 without her. Their relationship develops.)
Ep.30 - 7/10
Ep.31 - 10/10 (Plot - Friends of Count Mecha attempt to assassinate Tetsuro)
Posted by Spagem | May 5, 2018 11:05 AM | 0 comments
January 2nd, 2018
Iczer-1 OVA vs Iczer-1 Special Compilation Movie
Anime Relations: Tatakae!! Iczer-1
This is a comparison between the Iczer-1 OVA and the Iczer-1 Special Compilation Movie, which is not listed on MAL. I made these comparisons by watching each anime on two different screens at 300% speed, one earbud in each ear. Because of the high speed I watched, I'm sure there are multiple minor things that were reanimated that I missed. I also know for a fact that there are many split second cuts made in the movie to reduce runtime, because often, especially during fight scenes, my two videos would go out of sync, with the movie being ahead.
The timestamps are from the movie:
0:38 – 3:52 – This entire scene where Sir Violet and Big Gold encounter is moved from the beginning of the third OVA episode to here. This affects how the viewer sees Sir Violet as a character for most of the story, in my opinion, for the better.
18:53 – 19:04 – The scene where Cobalt launches to earth is reanimated with a new cut.
21:26 – 21:38 - Newly animated scene showing two helicopter pilots talk about Fuji One. ( https://i.imgur.com/tx7DsR8.png | https://i.imgur.com/NZzmmPy.png )
22:42 – The pilot designs changed. ( OVA: https://i.imgur.com/nH143fM.png | Movie: https://i.imgur.com/YuMeqe2.png )
23:00 – The same pilots are seen again when they die in an explosion. ( OVA: https://i.imgur.com/NtsImAa.png | Movie: https://i.imgur.com/0e7KeyE.png )
24:03 - When Iczer Robo comes in, the background music in the movie is ahead of the OVA by about 5 seconds. There are many cases of the music starting at different times, to the point I'm not going to mention most. The ones I do mention, like this one, are because I thought the music synced better with what was going on screen in the movie.
26:37 - When Iczer Robo shoots the beam out of its arm, it does it immediately in the movie, whereas in the OVA, it charges it for around 3 seconds.
27:21 – 27:34 – Brand new cuts show Iczer-1 and Nagisa warp outside of Iczer Robo and into the destroyed city. A new cut also shows Nagisa looking at Iczer-1. ( https://i.imgur.com/TzyOJJ3.png | https://i.imgur.com/Sx2zKyC.png )
Note: Instead of showing those new cuts, the OVA immediately shows Sepia mourning Cobalt's death and talking to Sir Violet. After that scene, it shows Nagisa hugging Iczer-1, which in the movie, takes place right after the new cuts, in the same scene. In short, this hugging scene was extended and moved before another scene.
Note: The first episode of the OVA ends here. Obviously, the bulk of the ending narration removed from the movie.
28:02 – 28:26 – A new scene shows Sepia naked in some tank, surrounded by some monsters. It looks like she feels a disturbance from Cobalt's death, and at 28:26, it cuts to a flashback of the scene where she is mourning. ( The one the OVA already showed. ) ( https://i.imgur.com/ieIWcMG.png | NSFW: https://i.imgur.com/UDs5UES.png | https://i.imgur.com/7ZIFFVH.png )
28:55 – 30:19 - New scenes of Sepia naked in the tank again, and then another new scene of Sir Violet and Big Gold talking. The second episode of the OVA starts right after this scene.
31:58 – 32:05 – New animated cut. ( https://i.imgur.com/qBB3CFc.png )
33:34 – 34:11 – A new scene shows people in the United Defense Force discussing the attack on earth. This scene introduces us to the commanding officer before the OVA does. ( https://i.imgur.com/78uH05I.png | https://i.imgur.com/YieXC8t.png | https://i.imgur.com/RqMOhDC.png )
37:37 – 37:55 – New cuts of Nagisa looking at her school and thinking, "The monsters probably got the school too." ( https://i.imgur.com/dR9vYt3.png )
46:15 - The beams being fired here are recolored. These same types of beams appear multiple times in the recolored state. ( OVA: https://i.imgur.com/2oKAK6R.png | Movie: https://i.imgur.com/M6P2K0A.png )
46:31 – 46:37 – Nagisa and Sayoko are reanimated here. In the OVA, Nagisa scolds Sayoko more seriously, then smiles when Sayoko laughs. In the movie, she scolds Sayoko in a joking way with a smile on her face the entire time. Rather than laughing, Sayoko does a V-sign. ( OVA: https://i.imgur.com/iV0b2bm.png | https://i.imgur.com/mSRJs1m.png )
57:15 - Here in the movie, the second OVA ends. This time, all the narration is removed. The third OVA picks back up here after minutes of recap footage and the 3 minute scene that was at the beginning of the movie instead.
1:12:01 – 1:13:54 – This entire scene with the United Defense Force is dubbed in English instead of Japanese. There is also a new cut with dialogue between this at 1:12:38 – 1:12:42. ( https://i.imgur.com/LEierOe.png )
1:16:47 - When this light shines before Iczer Robo enters, Iczer Robo's theme starts playing in the OVA. In the movie, it doesn't play until he actually appears. This is the only other time I found the music change to be a significant improvement.
Combined, there are 3 minutes and 30 seconds of brand new scenes and cuts spread throughout movie ( not simply reanimated ones ), as well as many other changes that make it a different viewing experience to the OVA. For this reason, I believe the Special Compilation Movie should have it's own database entry in MAL.
The timestamps are from the movie:
0:38 – 3:52 – This entire scene where Sir Violet and Big Gold encounter is moved from the beginning of the third OVA episode to here. This affects how the viewer sees Sir Violet as a character for most of the story, in my opinion, for the better.
18:53 – 19:04 – The scene where Cobalt launches to earth is reanimated with a new cut.
21:26 – 21:38 - Newly animated scene showing two helicopter pilots talk about Fuji One. ( https://i.imgur.com/tx7DsR8.png | https://i.imgur.com/NZzmmPy.png )
22:42 – The pilot designs changed. ( OVA: https://i.imgur.com/nH143fM.png | Movie: https://i.imgur.com/YuMeqe2.png )
23:00 – The same pilots are seen again when they die in an explosion. ( OVA: https://i.imgur.com/NtsImAa.png | Movie: https://i.imgur.com/0e7KeyE.png )
24:03 - When Iczer Robo comes in, the background music in the movie is ahead of the OVA by about 5 seconds. There are many cases of the music starting at different times, to the point I'm not going to mention most. The ones I do mention, like this one, are because I thought the music synced better with what was going on screen in the movie.
26:37 - When Iczer Robo shoots the beam out of its arm, it does it immediately in the movie, whereas in the OVA, it charges it for around 3 seconds.
27:21 – 27:34 – Brand new cuts show Iczer-1 and Nagisa warp outside of Iczer Robo and into the destroyed city. A new cut also shows Nagisa looking at Iczer-1. ( https://i.imgur.com/TzyOJJ3.png | https://i.imgur.com/Sx2zKyC.png )
Note: Instead of showing those new cuts, the OVA immediately shows Sepia mourning Cobalt's death and talking to Sir Violet. After that scene, it shows Nagisa hugging Iczer-1, which in the movie, takes place right after the new cuts, in the same scene. In short, this hugging scene was extended and moved before another scene.
Note: The first episode of the OVA ends here. Obviously, the bulk of the ending narration removed from the movie.
28:02 – 28:26 – A new scene shows Sepia naked in some tank, surrounded by some monsters. It looks like she feels a disturbance from Cobalt's death, and at 28:26, it cuts to a flashback of the scene where she is mourning. ( The one the OVA already showed. ) ( https://i.imgur.com/ieIWcMG.png | NSFW: https://i.imgur.com/UDs5UES.png | https://i.imgur.com/7ZIFFVH.png )
28:55 – 30:19 - New scenes of Sepia naked in the tank again, and then another new scene of Sir Violet and Big Gold talking. The second episode of the OVA starts right after this scene.
31:58 – 32:05 – New animated cut. ( https://i.imgur.com/qBB3CFc.png )
33:34 – 34:11 – A new scene shows people in the United Defense Force discussing the attack on earth. This scene introduces us to the commanding officer before the OVA does. ( https://i.imgur.com/78uH05I.png | https://i.imgur.com/YieXC8t.png | https://i.imgur.com/RqMOhDC.png )
37:37 – 37:55 – New cuts of Nagisa looking at her school and thinking, "The monsters probably got the school too." ( https://i.imgur.com/dR9vYt3.png )
46:15 - The beams being fired here are recolored. These same types of beams appear multiple times in the recolored state. ( OVA: https://i.imgur.com/2oKAK6R.png | Movie: https://i.imgur.com/M6P2K0A.png )
46:31 – 46:37 – Nagisa and Sayoko are reanimated here. In the OVA, Nagisa scolds Sayoko more seriously, then smiles when Sayoko laughs. In the movie, she scolds Sayoko in a joking way with a smile on her face the entire time. Rather than laughing, Sayoko does a V-sign. ( OVA: https://i.imgur.com/iV0b2bm.png | https://i.imgur.com/mSRJs1m.png )
57:15 - Here in the movie, the second OVA ends. This time, all the narration is removed. The third OVA picks back up here after minutes of recap footage and the 3 minute scene that was at the beginning of the movie instead.
1:12:01 – 1:13:54 – This entire scene with the United Defense Force is dubbed in English instead of Japanese. There is also a new cut with dialogue between this at 1:12:38 – 1:12:42. ( https://i.imgur.com/LEierOe.png )
1:16:47 - When this light shines before Iczer Robo enters, Iczer Robo's theme starts playing in the OVA. In the movie, it doesn't play until he actually appears. This is the only other time I found the music change to be a significant improvement.
Combined, there are 3 minutes and 30 seconds of brand new scenes and cuts spread throughout movie ( not simply reanimated ones ), as well as many other changes that make it a different viewing experience to the OVA. For this reason, I believe the Special Compilation Movie should have it's own database entry in MAL.
Posted by Spagem | Jan 2, 2018 1:17 AM | 0 comments
September 16th, 2017
Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket
Anime Relations: Kidou Senshi Gundam 0080: Pocket no Naka no Sensou
- This OVA was a slog. The story was stretched out longer than it needed to in order to convey its message and develop the relationship between Bernie and Al. For example, the relationship of these two lead characters was similar to that of the Junker and Yumemi in Planetarian, yet Planetarian handles it better in half the runtime War in the Pocket has. However, despite it taking a long time to develop the relationship, by the end it was solid enough to make me foggy eyed.
- Bernie's love for Christina was unbelievable. He hardly knows her, not to mention she knocked him unconscious with a baseball bat. I know it wasn't a huge focus of the OVA, but I question why it was even included.
- Although often praised for its soundtrack, I found a lot of the music to be unfitting and almost “babyish” sounding.
- The OVA did a fantastic job of showing how destructive war is and how it affects the innocent civilians who are unfortunately involved.
Posted by Spagem | Sep 16, 2017 10:10 PM | 0 comments
Bubblegum Crash
Anime Relations: Bubblegum Crash
- I liked how all three episodes of the OVA were a continuous story, rather than episodic like Bubblegum Crisis. It made is feel like a Bubblegum Crisis movie, a suiting way to end the series.
- I found the plot to be interesting, but the characters were lacking. No one but Priss was given any focus. It's a shame because I found Nene to be the most fun to watch after the final episode of Bubblegum Crisis.
- The OVA only had one 80s style j-pop song it would repeatedly use. I did love the song, however, and thought it fit with the 80s cyberpunk style of the show well. Great soundtrack overall, as expected.
- Like Bubblegum Crisis, the feel/style of the show is the best part of it. It wasn't lacking there.
Posted by Spagem | Sep 16, 2017 7:25 PM | 0 comments
September 8th, 2017
Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ
Anime Relations: Kidou Senshi Gundam ZZ
- The first half of the anime was mediocre. I didn't like how much it focused on comedy, and unfunny comedy at that.
- Mondo, Beecha, and Elle were boring characters throughout the entire show. Why did they need to exist? What was their purpose? There wasn't any development, and they didn't have any interesting characteristics to carry them without it. I feel like they tried to get some in before the end, but by then it was too late and felt forced. (Such as Mondo falling in love with one of the Moon sisters and dealing with her death, Beecha wanting to become a captain, and Elle and Beecha falling in love.)
- The Moon Moon episodes were awful, just like everybody says. Yes, the characters from Moon Moon appeared again near the end so it wasn't just filler, but I didn't think it was necessary to have them in any part of the show.
- Deaths of comrades were emotionally dealt with too quickly. This is a problem that I found in the original Gundam and Zeta as well. When ZZ has 47 episodes and half of those are garbage, I don't see any reason they can't take time to focus on a character's death and explore how it affects the rest of the cast. (Fantastic example being Gurren Lagann.) Ple's death was especially underwhelming in particular. Funny enough the one death they did make out to be big, Leina's, was all for nothing because she ended up being alive.
- Glemy acted in completely nonsensical ways. I could only ask questions like, "Why does Glemy want to keep Leina and train her to be lady so badly?" and "Why is he in love with Roux exactly?". It made more sense in the beginning for him to act nonsensical due to the comedic tone, but when the tone shifted it just didn't work.
- I ended up liking Judau's punky character. Do I like him more than Amuro or Kamille? No, but he was good nonetheless.
- I really like Ple. She was a cute, charming character, and any episode that focused on her was great. She almost saved the show, and probably would have if she wasn't killed.
- There were a few episodes with Kamille in them, and it was nice to see how he was recovering. Seeing him happy with Fa at the end for a few seconds was the most emotional part of the whole show. I don't give credit to ZZ for that, however, because it's playing off everything Zeta did.
- I liked the Double Zeta Gundam and the triple docking system. Thought it was cool.
- The episodes on earth were all strong and actually on Zeta's level.
- Some criticize Captain Bright for acting out of character in ZZ, specifically for not getting angry when the kids launch in mobile suits without permission—it happens a lot by the way. I actually found it to be a neat development that made sense. After being involved in the war so long, he's tired and done trying to deal with kids who don't listen—a lot less uptight. It's a lot like how parents tend to be strict with their first couple children, but by the time they're on their 4th or 5th, they're done and let them do what they want.
Posted by Spagem | Sep 8, 2017 4:27 PM | 0 comments
August 28th, 2017
Outlanders
Anime Relations: Outlanders
- It feels like a lot of the story was simply glossed over, and it likely was. This is a 50 minute anime adaptation of an 8 volume manga.
- The designs as a whole tend to not make sense or just make you ask more questions when thought of logically. Why does Kahm's father look like a completely different species of alien than her? Why are many of the characters fighting with traditional swords in an extremely high tech sci-fi setting? Why do the big space ships look like bugs?
All the designs feel like random science fiction-esque things sloppily thrown together with no thought.
- Despite the random-like design choices, it all feels very 80s, which I personally enjoy.
- The characters act in irrational ways. The most baffling moment of the OVA is when Battia and Geobaldi help Tetsuya and Kahm escape from the enemies. The enemies are still hot on their trail after escaping, however, rather than continuing to run, Geobaldi decides to shoot a simple insult at Kahm, causing Testuya to overreact as the two engage in a sword fight, all while the two girls watch and hardly do anything to stop it. Geobaldi defeats Testsuya leaving him barely alive, so now they can't escape until he's healed. Thankfully Kahm happens to have a healing power—never mentioned previously—that she uses as Geobaldi helps hold back the enemies that have now arrived.
This was obviously done so we could see Tetsuya defend Kahm over a mere insult, showing how much he loves her. It was done at the worst possible time and ended up making every character look retarded.
- The art, animation, action, and music were all unmemorable.
- Kahm was cute at least.
Posted by Spagem | Aug 28, 2017 3:36 PM | 0 comments