Viewing Journal: Trava Fist Planet (complete)

Series Overview Bittorrent Download Trailer Rating: Overall= B Story = B Video = A- Audio = B-

Journal

Ace pilot Trava and his personal mechanic buddy Shinkai, on their way to mark an out-of-the-way planet, pick up Mikuru, a girl with no memory. The three are about to discover that the planet is more than it seems. (Source: ANN)

Trava Fist Planet is a short series made up of four 10 to 15 minute episodes about two "markers" — people who go to new planets and mark them for later exploration. They are trying to earn money to enter the "Fist Planet," a fighting/racing event whose grand prize ranges in the billions. While on their way to their next mark, they stumble upon a woman who has lost her memory, taking her with them to survey the strange and dangerous planet.

The only reason I watched this series was because it's the prequel to Redline, the long-in-the-making movie that looks mind-blowingly awesome but which I still have yet to watch. Trava Fist Planet is not nearly as action-oriented as Redline promises to be, but it is still has plenty of entertainment value due to its clever writing, off-kilter characters and setting, and awesome animation.

What this series lacks in action, it makes up for in snappy dialogue. The two main characters who are made up of the dog-eared Trava and the "lobster man" Shinkai are constantly bantering back and forth in a way that reminds me of Jet and Spike in Cowboy Bebop. The confident Trava is always jibing Shinkai who in turn is hopelessly trying to defend himself. It's the quick, constantly unexpected wit that gives this show tons of personality and a fun, casual tone even when things are at their craziest. The only issue is that at times it can get quiet and a bit boring to the point where I really just wished that something — anything — would happen. But for the most part it is very cool.

Of course, I'm not saying that there is no action in this show or that it is not visually stunning. The designs are done by the same guy who did Dead Leaves and the best episode in the Animatrix, World Record. The character designs have that Aeon Flux elongated-limbs look, and I'm not sure how to describe everything else other than to say that it is extremely unique and awesome. As the story progresses there are some action scenes that get really crazy, especially in the finale and the animation never disappoints throughout. The only major issue I had was with the last fight scene, which ended before we see any real action. Whether that was due to budgetary constraints or was an intentional storytelling device, I'm not sure. But for the most part the animation is phenomenal.

As for the story itself, I would simply describe it as strange but entertaining. The characters are spontaneous, and the planet that the story takes place on is incredibly strange, but even so, all of the concepts in the story are explained well enough that I always understood what was going on.

So overall I'll say that this a very strange show with fun dialogue, unique designs, and a decent amount of crazy action that is well worth watching. Now on to Redline!

[ For a full list of reviews see the Viewing Journal Archive ]

Viewing Journal: Devilman (live action movie)

Movie Overview DVD Info Trailer Rating: Overall= C+ Story = C Video = B- Audio = C

Journal

Akira Fudo is a kind-hearted, shy teenager until one night his best friend Ryo Asuka reveals to him a terrible truth: demons are awakening in our world and mankind is in peril. Assuming the mantle of Devilman, a demon with the heart of a human, Akira fights demons as well as the rising chaos of a panicked human populace. (Source: ANN)

I've been discussing anime and Asian action flicks with someone at work recently and we got to talking about Go Nagai — the legendary creator of such fine offerings as Cutie Honey, MazinKaizer, Violence Jack, and Getter Robo. In the course of the conversation, he mentioned that the live action Devilman was pretty good and he offered to let me borrow it; and since I've been wanting to check out stuff by Go Nagai for a while, I eagerly accepted. But after watching it I can only say that this movie is "okay". There were a few elements about it that I liked and that surprised me, but in general the story was awkward and uneven.

The main issue that I had was that the transitions between plot points was so abrupt. For instance, in the beginning we have the two main characters — the teenage Akira and Ryo, two friends who are both kind of sullen but who are driven to protect each other. There's some good character development in those first few scenes; but then out of nowhere Ryo brings up the fact that his father is in Antarctica with a group of scientists who were digging for a new source of energy when they unintentionally unleashing demons into the world. And with that revelation, we abruptly go from being a somewhat realistic story about a couple kids brooding, to having all of these grotesque demons, two of whom possess Ryo and Akira, transforming them into devils who start fighting each other. Then just as abruptly they go back to being human kids who talking about their fate, wherein Akira decides to use his new demon powers to protect humanity. The fact that there is little to no build up or foreshadowing or any real logical explanation prior to these plot twists makes it seem that the story is being made up as it goes along, despite being based on a pre-existing material.

I think a major reason for these jumps in the story is because it is trying to sum up the event in the manga/anime. I have never seen the Devilman anime or read the manga, but it seemed like there was a lot more to the story than what was being presented in this movie. For instance, I could tell that there was probably more about to the relationship between the devil who possessed Akira — Amon — and the devil who possessed his friend Ryo. And then there's the angelic devil lady who only shows up briefly and hints that she may have been romantically involved with Amon at some point. Unfortunately we don't get that background info or see those relationships develop much more than one or two slight hints, and we never see that devil lady at all after her introductory scene. So I can imagine this movie as being an excellent supplement if you've seen the other versions because you could see the characters, setting, and fights in live action while filling in any plot holes with your knowledge of the anime or manga. But for someone like me, it can be frustrating or downright annoying.

What I actually did like about the movie, which I didn't expect, was its epic scope. It eventually develops into a story involving the entire world, with nation fighting nation and people on the streets killing each other because no one knows who is really a demon and who isn't. It's that decent into chaos and the exploration the darker side of human nature and the breakdown of the social order that I really liked and which I thought really gave the movie substance. The story just keeps on getting bigger and bigger and more insane until the very end when there is an epic fight between the two main characters.

And those action scenes, where devils fight one another, were very cool indeed. I especially liked the parts where you would see one devil strike another and the visual would suddenly shift to a sketchy drawing of the fight and just as abruptly shift back to the real fight. It was a really cool effect and a nice homage to the original manga.

So overall, it was an entertaining story but probably better suited for someone who is already a Devilman fan. I do really want to check out other Go Nagai stuff, but this movie doesn't make me want to start with Devilman.

Related Reviews:

• Cutie Honey (live action movie)
  

[ For a full list of reviews see the Viewing Journal Archive ]

Viewing Journal: Macross - Do You Remember Love?

Movie Overview Bittorrent Download Trailer Rating: Overall= B Story = B Video = B+ Audio = B

Journal

Made in 1984, Macross: Do You Remember Love is a summary of the events that occured in the Super Diemension Fortress Macross TV series — itself known as the show that was re-cut to make the first part of US TV series Robotech. In this movie version the earth is at war with an alien race known as the Zentradi. The interstellar transforming battle spaceship/robot/city/fortress known as the Macross is on its way back to earth when it crosses paths with a Zentradi fleet. A battle ensues during which one of the Macross' fighter pilots gets lost within the Macross' dark trappings with a pop idol singer Minme. This eventually prompts an unapproved romantic flight among the rings of Saturn, a capture by aliens, a love triangle and various other dramatic and exciting action scenes, in what is probably one of the best series-summary movies I've seen.

Since this is a summary, you do not need to have seen original TV show to watch this movie, but it probably would help. While it does a good job of including all of the elements needed to understand it's self-containted plot, it still feels very much like you are dropped in to the middle of the story. Things happen so suddenly and fast at the beginning, that it can be a little confusing. There's the giant spaceship/city Macross which is trying to return to earth, and you can tell that there is a war going on between Earth and the alien race known as the Zentrans. But why exactly the Macross left earth, where the ship originated, or the details behind how the war between earth and the Zentrans started is skipped entirely. Personally, I have only seen a handful of episodes of Macross and Robotech, but I know enough about the backstory to be able to fill in those blanks. However, those who have no previous exposure to the story can still enjoy this movie as long as they can accept that many questions they have about the backstory may not be answered.

I actually ended up watching this movie twice; and to be honest, the first time I was not crazy about it. Part of the reason for that was because I was confused on exactly where it fit in the Macross continuity. I originally thought it was supposed to be a sequel to it, and it wasn't until later that I realized that is was supposed to be a condensed re-telling of the series. But even beyond that, the story and the characters were just so over-the-top cheesy. I mean, this is a show where giant powerful aliens can be rendered incapacitated after simply seeing a man and woman kiss, and where pop music literally saves the human race. How am I supposed to take that seriously? Then there's the love triangle between Hikaru, Minme, and Misa which seemed totally cliche. I had a hard time empathizing with any of the characters since may of them seemed like stereotypical anime personalities just with amped up melodrama.

The second time I watched it, my opinion was entirely different. Part of that change in attitude was because I understood that this was a re-telling and not a sequel. But the main reason for my shift in opinion was that I knew what to expect, so I was not as distracted by the cheesiness and melodrama and could focus on the details. And that's what really makes this movie so beloved by fans: the details in everything from the characters to the story to the setting and animation. The story itself is complex and has plenty of surprises; and somehow even the over-the-top ridiculousness of the premise lent the movie a certain amount of awesomeness because it is never apologetic about it and if you pay attention to the backstory of the aliens, their reactions to humanity are consistent and understandable (if not reasonable). And even the development and resolution of the love triangle is much more complex than I first thought. The scene where Misa and Hikaru are stranded, and are shown playing house in order to pass the time is especially well done and does a great job of showing their relationship develop. It's that kind of subtle detail that, when you are paying attention to it, really plays off with emotional impact. And despite the condensed story, it never seems rushed or feels like things are being glossed over. Each scene has meaning and contributes to moving the story forward at a comfortable pace.

Then of course there's the detail in the animation. I'm sure a lot of audiences will be turned off by the hand-drawn animation of the 80's, but personally I love that style of animation just because it allows for more creative freedom and spontaneity in the artwork.

So in the end, I did really enjoy this movie. I think that if you can get past some of cheesiness, those who are willing to look will appreciate the detail and craft of the story and animation.

[ For a full list of reviews see the Viewing Journal Archive ]

Viewing Journal: Fullmetal Alchemist - Sacred Star of Milos

Movie Overview DVD Info Trailer Rating: Overall= B+ Story = B+ Video = A Audio = B

Journal

After a mysterious prisoner with only a few weeks left on his sentence breaks out of prison in Central City, the Elric brothers attempt to track him down. The search leads them to Table City in the southwestern country of Creta, where Alphonse rescues a young alchemist named Julia from the very man they are trying to capture. In the thick of the fight, they literally tumble into Julia's home turf, the slums of Milos Valley, and are embroiled in the grassroots rebellion of her people. (Source: ANN)

Fullmetal Alchemist: The Sacred Star of Milos is a stand-alone story in the FMA universe. It does not build on or effect anything related to the plot of either series (of which there are two alternate versions), but even so it has much of the quality that you come to expect from the FMA franchise. It has the cool alchemic battles and genuine drama; plus, everything from the action to the setting to the story has a grand, epic scale worthy of a theatrical feature. The main characters, Ed and Al, display all the qualities that made us love them in the series: their skills with alchemy, their drive to follow their goals without compromising their principles, and their tendency to inspire those around them. Thankfully, however, this movie is surprisingly lacking in the running gags that were omnipresent in both FMA TV series. So no jokes about Ed being short or about people confusing the armor-clad Al as being the famous "Fullmetal Alchemist."

The one thing that this movie does not have that the series—especially the second series FMA: Brotherhood—does have is the strong supporting cast; as almost everyone in this movie other than Ed or Al is original to this story. Sure, the movie has passionate characters with strong backstories and motivations that supply a powerful emotional impact; but they are not as well-rounded or quirky as the characters of the TV series. Many of the series' supporting characters could carry the show even when the main characters were not around. They have paradoxical aspects to their personalities—the bad-ass woman who boldly leads an army of men, the gentile strongman, the child who is pure evil…the list goes on. But in this movie the characters' personalities are relatively strait-forward, even if some of their superficial aspects (i.e., the bat-people) are not; and it's mostly their reaction to Ed and Al that allows the best parts of their personalities to shine.

So, all that being said, there are two lingering questions about this movie: how will fans of the series like it; and how will those unfamiliar with the series like it. (And I'll follow that up by saying that you could come into this movie after watching either FMA TV series because there is nothing in this movie that is exclusive to either series.)

For the first question, it depends on what you are expecting. If you want to see of your favorite character and your favorite character is someone other than Ed or Al then you will be gravely disappointed. Sure Mustang, Hawkeye, and Winrey occasionally show their faces, but they do nothing of consequence. Even when Mustang joins in the final battle, he does next to nothing to show his powers. Then there's Armstrong who comes on scene to do nothing more than deliver a message to Mustang. It's fairly obvious that the only reason those characters exist in this movie is to give fans something to fawn over. But personally, I would prefer that they not be in there at all instead of wedging them awkwardly in throw-away roles.

For those who have never seen any FMA before, I think they might enjoy the movie quite a bit. The movie does assume you have some prior knowledge from the series regarding alchemy and it's concepts and principles; but I still think that it is simple enough that a non-fan could figure out anything that is not overtly explained. And I also think that it may give those audiences enough of a taste of the series to motivate them to go out and investigate it further.

So overall, I think this is a great movie that is fun and has enough of a taste of the FMA universe to please fans and non-fans alike.

[ For a full list of reviews see the Viewing Journal Archive ]