Finished watching Outlaw Star

Finished watching Outlaw Star (1998, Sunrise, 24 epi.) on 09/14/2017.

Somewhere out there in outer space is a fabled treasure trove know as the Galactic Leyline. Somewhere out there in space there is also a man lost in the pleasures of alcohol and women, who carries a special firearm with magical attributes known as a Caster. That man, is none other than Gene Starwind. Whom with his crew of few and very diverse characters, are off to find the treasure of the Galactic Leyline. One of his crewmates however, isn't looking for the riches promised in the legends... but is actually in search of herself and her reason of being. That would be Melfina, an android whom Gene made a promise to help find the answers she seeks.

Man! Gene mutherf**kin' Starwind! I'll tell you what! Alright, Outlaw Star is an amazing show, almost on the same level as Cowboy Bebop, just not as classy. More spunky. Half of the show unfortunately are episodes that could be skipped, but some of those do offer a couple of plot hints and pieces that build up for the ending. Fortunately, all these episodes in the show are VERY entertaining and funny and amazing! Not one episode bored me out or necessarily made me feel like it was trying to prolong things. But the pacing is a bit wonky after the first few episodes. But most importantly I think the show knows to not take itself too seriously, maybe that's why it's very entertaining. The animation is really good, but sometimes the character's faces look a bit strange... but that could just be from the art style. The soundtrack is really cool too! Sometimes it really adds to the excitement of the scenes.

8.5/10 - Definitely a great show all around! Definitely worth a rewatch in a couple years.

Finished watching Macross Frontier

Finished watching Macross Frontier (2008, Studio Nue, Satelight, 25 epi.) on 6/3/2017.

Macross Frontier is a massive space colony fleet heading towards the center of the Milky Way Galaxy in search of a habitable planet for the human race. On its way there biomechanical insectoid mechas of alien origin attack and invade the fleet. Caught up in the chaos of the attack and its political and military aftermath is a love triangle between three young characters - Saotome Alto, an aspiring Valkyrie Fighter pilot; Sheryl Nome, a famed music idol also known as the Galactic Fairy; and rising star music idol, Ranka Lee.

8/10 – Hm, I don't have much to say about this show aside from it being pretty good. I feel like it was able to capture most of the themes that seem to be traditional within the franchise, like the focus on music idols affecting the plot and the ever-popular love triangle and work them into a new setting and set of characters. I think one of the episodes I enjoyed the most was the Macross Zero throwback ones. The fighter battles were pretty cool too and all the CG they used didn't put me off at all. It seems like production quality was pretty good too. Not too often did I notice anything drawn or animated awkwardly. I think it's a pretty good addition to the Macross series. However, it did leave me wondering what happened to the characters after the end of the series.

Finished watching Crusher Joe

Finished watching Crusher Joe (1983, Sunrise, 2h 11m) on 04/18/2017.

Joe, Talos, Alfin and Ricky are a team of Crushers - folks who take up any job that pays them well. And their newest gig might be the strangest yet as they have to transport a royal woman in a cryogenic capsule to a different planet to be medically thawed. Easy enough, right? It would've been if midway through the trip the goods hadn't mysteriously disappeared and Joe's team blamed for the mishap. They must now uncover the mystery behind their mission and recover their cargo.

7.5/10 - This is a good movie. I think what I enjoyed the most out of it was the character designs. The space suits are really cool and vibrant, it was kind of inspiring for me. But the animation quality was just as good with lots of movement and light effects. Heck, there's even a disco place that gets destroyed by too much partying. Well, there was a whole fight that started out anyways. The dialogue and the characters are fun too, and the plot of the movie is really interesting. I just think the movie dragged on for a bit though. It's a two hour movie and I might've drowsed for a little bit. Maybe I'm just gettin old, hahahah! I bet I would've watched this over and over if I had a tape back in the 90's.

Finished watching Macross Zero

Finished watching Macross Zero (2002, Studio Nue, Satelight, 5 OVAs) on 03/30/2017.

Set one year before the events of the original Macross series, Macross Zero follows the story of Shynn Kudo amidst the final battles of the U.N. Wars between the U.N. Spacy and the Anti-U.N. Forces. After being shot down by a strange aircraft that can transform into a humanoid fighting robot, Shynn wakes up in an island inhabited by a tribe that seems to hold great secrets about a sunken alien spaceship. A spaceship that would soon become the main focus of the wars.

7.5/10 - Hmm. Maybe I'd have to watch this show again, but I feel like I didn't really understand what these OVAs added to the franchise. Maybe it was to sort of explain the origin of the VF fighter technology? I'm not sure. Maybe it was just its own thing altogether. Either way I enjoyed the show, it was nice to see Mr. Focker again. The quality of the show was pretty good. So overall I had a good time with it. Lots of CG Valkyrie fights. I guess those are cool. Not sure how I feel about the framerate differences between the CG and the characters though, but whatever.

EDIT: After having watched Macross Frontier I began to make some connections that clarified a couple of things for me, but for the most part it made me realize that Macross Zero introduced, or expanded more on the idea of an earlier alien contact with Earth. Still, I think I'll watch the OVAs again for a deeper understanding of the story and concepts.

Finished watching Macross Plus: Movie Edition

Finished watching Macross Plus: Movie Edition (1995, Studio Nue, Triangle Staff, 115 min.) on 03/20/2017.

Isamu, Guld and Myung, three childhood friends bitterly reunited after a tragic event that separated them for so long. But the wounds of the past have not yet healed and their career paths keep them further apart. While Myung is involved in the creation of a virtual pop idol to inspire the masses, Isamu and Guld compete as select military test pilots for the Super Nova Project.

10/10 - First of all. The movie opens up with music by Akino Arai. I'm already sold. Second of all. This movie is an animation masterpiece of epic proportions. Not only is it a pioneer for the marriage of cel and CG animation, it masterfully combines music and visuals in ways that will leave you hypnotized. The characters are amazing and their relationships are well crafted. The music and soundtrack is really one of its kind. And again, with Akino Arai providing some of the songs for the virtual pop idol what's not to like about this movie? I really want to watch this movie again one day.

Finished watching Gunbuster

Finished watching Gunbuster (1988, Gainax, 6 OVAs) on 3/3/2016.

In the near future gigantic, insectoid, space monsters pose a threat to human kind. Planet Earth's best defense lays in the hands of an army of giant fighter robots called RX-7, piloted by trained professionals. Two of those pilots, namely Noriko and Kazumi have been specially chosen to train for an even larger, more powerful robot, the Gunbuster.

10/10 – Yup, a 10. It's that awesome! This mostly female fronted show puts its two main characters in space, piloting giant fighter robots against giant space monsters and it even tries to be scientifically accurate as possible. Which it is! By a lot! SPACE! SCIENCE! Oh and did I mention this is directed by Evangelion's Hideaki Anno? The characters are well constructed and the soundtrack is pretty awesome. The animation quality, despite experimental on rare occasions, is pretty good. I should mention the boob physics here, they're not exaggerated, they're quite nice. And yes, there is some full nudity from the ladies on occasion as well. Gotta have that hot spring bath episode, yo! But let me tell you something, this show made me aware of Time Dilation, something I should really know about. Some of you know why. This concept is crazy and I'm happy Gunbuster brought it up to me.

Finished watching Gurren Lagann The Movie: The Lights in the Sky are Stars

Finished watching Gurren Lagann The Movie: The Lights in the Sky are Stars (2009, Gainax, 2hr 5mins) on 5/23/2015.

The aftermath of a traumatic experience is tough on a growing Simon. But in the darkness a small light shines for him, looking to raise his spirits. Simon has much ahead of him, and despite what he believes, he's not alone. Everyone is right there with him, even when they aren't.

9/10 – You get a Tengen Toppa! She gets a Tengen Toppa! Everybody in the audience will go home today with their own Tengen Toppa! Holy cow tits! Like, seriously! This movie was insanely all over the place towards the end! I couldn't handle it! I'm not complaining, though. I enjoyed the living heck out of all of it! All of my yes!

Finished watching Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann the Movie Childhood's End

Finished watching Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann the Movie - Childhood's End (2008, Gainax, 1hr 52min) on 5/19/2015.

Simon and Kamina are two of the many children who live their lives digging underground tunnels looking for resources for their underground village. But one day Simon stumbles upon an object that turns out to be the key to an ancient machine of war. The two friends name it Lagann and use it to fend off a surprise attack on their village by a giant creature from the surface. They also meet Yoko, a massive-gun wielding wanderer also from the surface. The three join forces to explore and face the many challenges of the world outside and meet new friends along the way, as well as forging lasting relationships.

8.5/10 – It's been long since I watched the series, so halfway through the movie I was almost convinced I was just watching a series recap in movie form made entirely of recycled footage and a long montage. That might've been half-true for most of that first half of the movie (I say half-true because upon closer inspection, the animation is all new). The second half of the movie threw those concepts out the window and I found myself really enjoying it! Specially when they combined three different battles in the series into one giant brawl in the movie. And when I say combine, I mean they literally combined! Like, holy fuxx!

Y'know, I really think this whole show’s theme is about sex drive. They’re just sort of subtle about it.

Finished watching Space Battleship Yamato 2199

Finished watching Space Battleship Yamato 2199 (2013, Xebec, 26 episodes) on 5/14/2015.

The year is 2199. Earth is faced with a major crisis. After being bombarded by the extraterrestrial Gamilas Empire with radio active meteors for years, Earth has started looking more like Mars, forcing humans to live underground. But they won’t give up without a fight as they revive battleship Yamato as a space battleship to fight against the threat and make their way to planet Iscandar where a technology was promised to cleanse planet Earth of the radiation.

10/10 – I have no words. I really don’t. If you were thinking of watching this, do yourself a favor and just watch it.

Finished watching Space Dandy

Finished watching Space Dandy (2014, Bones, 26 epi.) on 12/2/2014.

Space Dandy is the dandiest guy in space! But her's not alone! Together with his smart-vacuum, IQ and Meow, a cat-like alien being, the three travel the cosmos to all sort of planets and locations in space bounty hunting for aliens of all sorts. And in the downtime they chill out at BooBies, Dandy's favorite restaurant where scantily-clad waitresses are the main attraction and entertainment.

8/10 – Interesting. Very interesting... Gosh, where should I start. Throughout the series you'll notice Dandy explore various differently themed locations with the two most constant being the Alien Registration Center and BooBies, a high-spirited, space counterpart of Hooters. Each episode's plot however seems to be self-contained giving you the impression that there isn't much of a continuity with the story. However, as you keep watching you begin to notice a subtle strange cliffhanger phenomenon at the end of episodes that leaves you puzzled as to what really happened. The show's art style tends to change a lot on occasion too, almost feeling like a new studio came in and did the episode. I'm guessing this is the show trying to be a little abstract, or as a wise man once put it - artsy-fartsy. This is perhaps to make the show visually interesting. Not that it isn't interesting already, by like, a long shot, due to its art quality already being quite excellent, but seeing those odd episodes give it a different taste which can be either welcomed or disliked... in a good, intriguing kind of way. Perhaps... a dandy kind of way? Ultimately the show can get a little dull and repetitive with its story, but just a little. The nice animation and visuals can really help keep you going. But I really would've welcomed more exposition.

Finished watching Space Pirate Captain Harlock Movie

Finished watching Space Pirate Captain Harlock Movie (2013, Toei Animation, 1h 55m) on 9/28/2014.

Mankind is at its wit's end as life outside of a devastated Earth proves to be nearly impossible. But Earth is governed by a greedy alliance known as the Gaia Coalition. Space Pirate Captain Harlock commands the fearsome Arcadia battleship as he plunders the alliance's spaceships to fight for the freedom of Earth, but can we really be saved by a man himself shrouded in mystery?

8.5/10 – This movie was, in my opinion, a great reboot of the original story. As I've mentioned many times before, it's not like Leiji's Harlock works are consistent with each other to begin with but this was a pretty cool re-imagining compared to the rest. Most of the original characters were there with some new ones as well. Some of the character's names were changed to something else and even the official translation had names different from the new ones too, which was a little weird for me but I didn't really care because I knew who these characters really were in essence. Now, let's talk about the graphics. Wow. It's an improvement on movies like Advent Children if you've ever watched it. It is so visually stunning it hurts. And of course, they have to show off how good it is with some pointless scene where this chick does an air flip in the shower for no reason whatsoever. I was so lost. But the story was awesome. Actually it was a bit dull towards the first third of the movie but then there's a plot twist that really got me! This movie is decently long and I loved the way it ended even though I saw it coming. Awesome. Awesome stuff.

Finished watching Space Pirate Captain Harlock: Outside Legend - The Endless Odyssey

Finished watching Space Pirate Captain Harlock: Outside Legend - The Endless Odyssey (2002, Madhouse, 13 ep.) on 9/7/2014.

In this alternate reality sequel of the original series, Prof. Daiba unleashes the Noo, an ancient alien threat from its confines during an archeological mission to the end of the universe. Five years later, this threat reaches earth throwing into motion a reunion of Arcadia's Captain Harlockand his old crew.

7.5/10 - This sequel to the original series, if I can call it that, was actually pretty decent. At least comparing to that piece of garbage prequel known as Gun Frontier. So I guess that means I'll be comparing them both. Why? Because I know there are other shows and movies in the franchise and from what I heard none of them are very consistent with each other so I'm not even going to bother with them. That's why I'm sticking with only these two. Even Outside Legend was a little wonky in terms of continuity, but that's as far as my patience can go. Don't get me wrong, I think the whole Captain Harlock idea is pretty epic, but Leiji Matsumoto keeps annoying me with his inconsistency in this franchise. However, I'm willing to bet this series is the best Captain Harlock spinoff. Now, the reason why I'm not sure whether to call this show a sequel or not is because it behaves like both a sequel and a reboot. The reason why I say this is because the show is supposed to take place after the Mazone arc. Even Yattaran mentions fighting the Mazone in the past, but at the same time the show starts with Pr. Daiba still alive and his son, Daiba yet to meet Harlock for the first time. So basically Harlock defeated the Mazone without Daiba as part of the crew and Pr. Daiba was never killed by the Mazone, but instead... by the new threat known as the Noo. In 13 good looking episodes Harlock pursues this new enemy and I have to say, as a fan I was pretty pleased with the quality of the show. I never got bored, there was always something new happening each episode and the art was clean and crisp. The animation was also well done, specially with the Arcadia turning in some scenes to dodge laser canons. I do think that some other scenes didn't have to be so static though. It would've been nice to see Harlock exchanging a few blows with one of the bad guys as they exchanged a conversation between eachother. Other than what I've mention I really don't have much to complain about with this show. It was very awesome to see the old characters reunite in an updated art quality that would match that of today's anime shows. And as my last visit in my Harlock voyage as a true man, I shall move onto to watching the CG movie that was released recently. Til, then, may the hearts of passionate souls guide you through the stars of the universe.

Finished watching Gun Frontier

On July 10th, 2014 I finished watching Gun Frontier (2002, Vega Entertainment, 13 epi.) 10/07/2014.

Follow best friends Tochirou and Harlock in this comedic adventure as they travel the perilous Western Frontier of the United States looking for Tochirou's lost clan of Japanese immigrants. Along the way they pick up a mysterious young woman named Sinunora and together they challenge all sorts of wild west baddies and corrupt officials.

5/10 - Now, I don't know about the manga, but this show was absolute crud compared to what I was expecting out of a Leiji Matsumoto product. I came into it thinking it was going to lead up to the Space Pirate Captain Harlock events. But, no! There's no sort of connection whatsoever. As far as I'm concerned this was just a show with two characters who just happen to look like and have the same names as the ones from SPCH. Not only does it not lead up to that show but most of the episodes are just ridiculous with its pointless, blatant nudity from Sinunora. Most of the time she ends up getting naked for no reason whatsoever. If you asked her to strip in front of you in the middle of the street, she would, with no hesitation, with the most stoic face you'll ever see in your life. Oh, and did I mention how the women in this show have no nipples? What lines are you trying not to cross here? You already have blatant nudity on almost every episode, might as well just save me the cringe and add the damn nipples. The only thing that sort of saves this show is the art and animation quality. The lineart tends to be varied in value, which is rare to see in an animated show. Probably because it makes it difficult to animate. But even if I had watched this show for just what it is, I still don't think I would've liked it very much. The ending wasn't lead up to very well and wasn't that well written either. Definitely not one of my favorites.

Finished watching Space Pirate Captain Harlock

Finished watching Space Pirate Captain Harlock (1978, Toei Animation, 42 epi.) on 07/11/2014.

A race of plant-based alien beings known as the Mazone threaten a futuristic Earth claiming the planet once belonged to them before humans took over. But, without official consent from Earth, in their path stands Space Pirate Captain Harlock with his space battleship, the Arcadia, manned by his lively crew of space mateys as he departs on a journey to the source of the Mazone.

7/10 - For its time I'm sure the show was pretty epic, but I did fall asleep on a handful of episodes. Regardless, I did enjoy it in its entirety. I was left with some technical questions however about the plot, like why does Mime keep saying that she gave her life to Harlock. for example. I must've fallen asleep when it came up, maybe. Also, there were some scenes that were supposed to be serious but I couldn't help laughing because of the way they were directed, sometimes they were just downright awkward. There's also some sort of weird consistency with the storytelling too, like the Tokargan males having odd-shaped heads one episode and then looking like normal humans on another. I really think this must've been an awesome show to watch in late 1970's Japan. Again, It's not what I'm used to but I certainly enjoyed it. One very important thing to mention is that this is a show based on the manga by the same title which was created by Leiji Matsumoto who, by the way, supervised the creation of those Daft Punk anime videos. Yeah! Remember those? Interstella 5555 was the sh*t! In fact, you'll see a lot of character design similarities throughout most of his work. He has a stock of characters he likes to keep using. Most noticeable examples would be Doctor Zero or even Tochiro from this show.

Finished playing Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Finished playing Metroid Prime 2: Echoes (2009, Retro Studios, Wii) on 5/30/2014.
Mode: Veteran

Samus Aran is sent to planet Aether to rescue a team of Galactic Federation Marines, but once she arrives she discovers they've all been slaughtered by an invading race of aliens known as the Ing. With the help of ancient alien technology from the indigenous Luminoth, Samus fights to rid their planet of the invasive Ing, all the while dealing with the minor nuisance that are the well-known Space Pirates and a third force whose power might just equal her own.

7.5/10 – Although I think I had a bit more fun playing Metroid Prime 1 (Wii), this one was also pretty cool. The whole Dark Samus thing got me hyped up. What really annoyed me was the last battle. I swear, it took me about five or six tries at it to finally beat the game, but that was because I was holding back on the first few tries until I decided to just pull out the "big guns". Oh, and reading what the scan visor tells you about the enemies can really give you an advantage in battle, specially on that very last one. Gosh, I was so lost on what to do. I really enjoyed the soundtrack on this one too. Specially when I was making my way through the various areas of Aether, even if i knew that there was nothing hiding to jump at me it still made me feel like I should be watchful. Again, the game's a bit difficult compared to MP1, but good nonetheless.