As the title says- Fanfiction is my jam (I have a lot of ideas and I really have no place to keep them all- so this'll do) And most of them are crossovers- and 97 percent are My Little Pony based (the 10 percent is anime/ video game stuff) so that is a thing. Crossovers- automatic way to hit on both the fans of one thing and fans of another and profit. Blame me for liking things and crossing them over. Also blame me for never updating junk- time restraints can suck.
Unnamed Power Rangers x My Little Pony Xover
Unnamed Neon Genesis Evangelion x My Little Pony Xover
Finish my X'amd Lost memories x MLP Xover
Continue Animation Corps: Entropy- MLP x 29 other things
MLP unnamed adventure shipfic (Fluttershy x Rainbow Dash with Celestia x Discord and set in the Changeling homeland- this has fallen way to the wayside
MLP slice of life shipfics (Applejack x Luna; possibly Applejack x Cadance)
Some kind of story involving dragons
Finally continue that Cheerilee x Pinkie story that went on hiatus when I had my surgery.
Some Scootaloo story focused on pegasi
Continue/ Finish my Steven King x MLP Xovers
M&M Characters in Equestria (I try to write comedy sometimes. . .)
The Hangover x MLP
Green Lantern x MLP Xover (Or maybe a Power Ponies story- MLP Avengers?)
Full Metal Alchemist x MLP Xover
House of Leaves x MLP Xover
Burn Notice x MLP Xover
Sad shipfic (Rarity x Applejack)
Studio Gainax x other anime x MLP Xover
MLP x zombies
Gangster Madoka Magica
Fire Emblem x Pokemon
Sailor Moon x Neon Genesis Evangelion x other
Just watched this movie and I have to say I liked it a lot. So Red Line. Imagine if Space Dandy, Speed Racer, Wacky Races, and a Quentin Tarentino movie totally combined. It sounds ridiculous. It is. And by the way, this is probably an awful description on the how the movie plays out. The characters swear out the wazoo and there is like two scenes where the female protagonist is seen lounging around in the comfort of her home topless. So that is a thing, it passes quickly like a minute in total- but I don't want people to be all huffy when the boobs come out. Cause those people exist and I always feel like putting a disclaimer on anime that contain such scenes for those people. (Cause not all anime is made for kids. . .)
So it is basically a racing movie (the final racing competition is called Red Line.) and our main protagonist is so happy go lucky guy that has the worst odds of winning a competition. (His parts provider owes a ridiculous amount of money to the mafia.) and he wants to meet back up with a girl who began his passion for racing. Its also set in space, so the aliens that inhabit the worlds look pretty alien and fanciful- not colorful cause the movie is good with staying in these darker browns and grays for a good portion of stuff. I also never thought I would say that in a racing movie set in space- there is an entire civilization based around magic. Even after the sentient robots bases were covered, they threw in magical girls. Said magic users wear ridiculous outfits that woudn't be out of place in a PG-13/R rated movie. Oh wait. . .
Our Wacky Racers- a robot, green haired female lead, bounty hunters, mechanics turned racers, the magic users, a dirty cop, annoying comedy relief, and main character in that order from top-left to bottom right,
The first 12 minutes is an amazing scene of racing beautifully animated by Studio Madhouse (I really think Madhouse is climbing up that studio tier list I have cause this is a work of art- sort of light on plot in some areas- heavy in others, but a trip to watch. I had to do some research, but everything- and I do mean everything was hand drawn in this movie. You ever wonder how long seven years is? Look at this movie. It took the studio SEVEN years to draw it. So what if the plot is just another racing movie? Its animation makes me cry tears of joy.
Here's the trailer for an example of fluidity in motion.
There's a subplot with a robot world that doesn't want their secret tech to be exposed since the Red Line commission just threw it on them. (I think it might be kind of a satire on modern governments and our reliance on not so legal technology in order to create a sense of peace. It was very creative, yet their was some unknown purpose cause it developed well and then it just petered out. Just a gripe I had with the general plot. But the characters are imaginative and decently fleshed out for a movie with only 100 or so minutes in run time.
In regards to the musical tracks that are in this movie. They are all pretty good at creating a mood and are actually catchy for being mainly electronica/techno based. Some stand out more than others but they do hold up overall with this thread of unabashed manliness that pervades the film. Want to see explosions? Got it. The closest thing that I have in Western media in terms of explosions per minute is Michael Bay's movies. And at least this is beautifully animated and doesn't have Shia LeBeouf screaming for a decent amount of time. (And yes there is going to be Transformers 4. . .with Mark Wahlberg?) So yeah, rating.
I'd say that it is a solid 9.5/10 from me (if the Evangelion Rebuilds weren't my faves currently because I love that show- this would be up there with Akira- which was made 30 years ago- with how pretty it is.) with recommendations to at least watch it somehow. Really only the gripe with the seconday plot petering out- with a battle against the entire planet of the robots- is what's dragging it down. But I only took off half a point because this is more personal taste. (I recommend looking on Youtube first. If necessary, use google to search for it. I just put in "Redline movie anime" in google search and it was the first video.
Now this may not conform to most people's depictions of me, but I do love writing. Now there is a reason why some people don't know this. I differentiate between writing assignments and writing for fun. Writing assignments are not that fun (cue all of highschool and some of college.) Writing papers is necessary to get ahead in life.
But I am talking about writing about thinks you are fanatic about, fanfiction. Now I do know that fanfiction gets a bad rap for plenty of reasons. (using an already established world as your starting point seems unoriginal to some, the rabid shippers- or people who enjoy making romfantic pairings probably seems creepy to others, and the just sheer amount of awful, awful messed up fanfics turns off a lot of people.
But I love writing it.
It all began when I was the ripe old age of nine and I found this game called Fire Emblem on the Game Boy Advance. I loved that game. It had dragons and plot and magic and strategy, etc. It was a realized world and just a different experience than what I had been playing at the time. (Pokemon.) And I liked the world so much that I wanted to try my hand at writing something that would be so glorious that my eyes would melt because of reading it.
I only got a few pages in before I got bored of it. (Blame my shorter attention span and desire to go outside. I was nine. Outside was fun.) So I let it down. Then my computer got fried and it was corrupted so I couldn't continue it ever. It was a sad day.
Fast forward nearly a decade to May 2012. I had just graduated high school and I was hating being bored. I had nothing to do. I almost didn't want to go to college because I thought my life was over (which seems to be a very pervasive and constant feeling- but I digress) and I just sat waiting for something to change.
Now I had become a fan of My Little Pony a few months back and had read some fan works. And I enjoyed them immensely and I wanted to throw my hat in the ring. So I did on that May something or other. I wrote and I submitted the first chapter to a story, that in all reality, was average to good quality and I got good feedback and even got a few followers out of the deal. People actually wanted to read what I wrote, my life actually held meaning to someone outside of my general family and friends.
It actually made me happy.
So I've been writing away on fanfics involving pastel colored equines in a land that rivals Strawberry Shortcake with the sweet and cute names of the characters. And the puns. (Which I personally find ways to get around because I despise puns with all the power of ten thousand suns.) And I liked it until one day when I thought that I could branch out and not limit myself to just one thing . And while I do still adore My Little Pony, the overall fandom really does get old, seeing stories get hyped that are just distasteful and just copy and pasted multiple times and called 'creative.' So I've drifted from the fandom- so that means I have pretty much stopped writing for that (except one story- you always need a magnum opus for a last hurrah.)
Does this mean I am done with writing fanfics? No- since they are one of the few things that keep me happy enough to not hate myself completely. It just means I shifted towards other things.
I mean I just started a Pokemon/ Fire Emblem crossover this week and plan on a Sailor Moon/ Neon Genesis Evangelion crossover for this summer if not earlier. I need something to make my life suck less to my eyes and hold some sort of intrinsic value.
Finally figured out what they use as currency: don't judge me- when there is so much going on that the last thing on my mind is "what do they use for money?" it's something. So Wulongs are their currency. So that means that Cowboy Bebop and Space Dandy share the same currency. The more you know.
Plot: The Aloha Oe crash lands on an unknown planet after their warp drive is misused (again) because Dandy wanted to eat free at Boobies. And they find a "defenseless" girl in a wasteland full of bones being chased by aliens.
I really think that that this show is enjoying it's TV-14 rating. Cause that monster transformation actually surprised me (I almost did a spit-take.) with how close it got to an adult rating. Cause for a moment I was close to wondering how they got this one scene on tv- even on Adult Swim. Japan yeah- America and their censorship with the morals that we purport to keep completely sacred for the kids? Iffy. (I do know that Japan has some sort of similar system- but it's Japan. They are weird sometimes. And finally we get my favorite "trope" per se- the "oh god- our cute girl we are totes trying to save is an alien monster that would kill the heroes in two seconds."
"I told you! She's a monster! (And our ship can turn into a robot without warning.)
Got me some vibes of Spongebob the Movie and the Angler fish scene- except the monster is not an old lady and the episode parodies the whole save the damsel and the "reward" that we've accepted. Cause being the hero rocks. And there had to be so people who enjoyed that transformation scene- I didn't. Scared the bejeesus out of me. But we do live in a Post- Gainax world (clarification: by Post-Gainax, I mean that anime fans have become more used to weird anime that throw logic or common decency in terms of episode endings or even rude characters with character flaws- even fanservice for the sake of fanservice has become less shocking. Favorite anime studio (along with Studio Trigger? And I have way too many examples as to why. . .) Yeah- but that a true blog post for another time. (Read: When I have time to look up examples and not make me sound like a fangirl *cough* Evangelion *cough*
Oh and Doctor Gel running away from the planet with his entire fleet because the insatiable eating machine of a monster is on the planet- even with Dandy on the planet and nearly defenseless. Confirmation: Dandy is an awful, awful marksman. And I totally think that he is secretly holding a secret power like Vash the Stampede (which on that note, I need to finish Trigun.) or is related to the Jirol empire or something. Cause he is a coward through and through and couldn't hit a broadside of a barn if it hit him in the face.
Still didn't think Studio Bones had it in them. Especially after they did both Full Metal Alchemist series and my favorite underrated series X'amd: Lost Memories.
So they are totally trying to find ways to kill off the main characters. Cause Meow the Space Cat is eaten by the monster. So the tropes of both Back from the dead and Unexplained recovery are totally in this series.
Next episode: Space zombies? Maybe, maybe not. I've been wrong before with this show. But it looks like space zombies.
I actually am starting to like this series. I have come to terms that it parodies excessive fanservice in anime (cue rant about how ridiculous the uniform at Space Hooters is- actually in Space Dandy the restaurant chain is called Boobies. . .good lord I can't believe how stupid that is. But when you are parodying Hooters, I guess that is the draw of Hooters.
To get off this one-note track- my point about how pretty the show is still stands. Whenever they warp to a new location- this time to an alternate dimension as the crew of the Aloha Oe (Farewell to Thee in Hawaiian- according to Wikipedia so take with a grain of salt- as they search for the perfect bowl of ramen.
And yes that is the main plot. Short, simple, to the point.
I do have to say that the music, while no Cowboy Bebop, has a style that I enjoy. The music seems very electronic combined with funk. It is actually a nice thing to listen to and the opening song is nice.
And it seems that there might be a recurring female character, Scarlet. Now she was only in the show for like 2 minutes and most of that was a fight scene. But I hope to see more of her cause she reminds me a little, personality wise, to Faye Valentine in Cowboy Bebop- and its nice to not have a female fanservice character in the show.
Side Note- Dandy reminds me a lot in mannerisms to Johnny Bravo. Mannerisms, speech pattern, woman chasing, and hairstyle all match in some way. But I might just like Johnny Bravo and just noticing similarities between the two.
I have to say I like Meow the Beetlegeusian. A talking space cat? Awesome. And the comedic things that Dandy did to Meow in this episode made this episode.
The whole second plot of the episode was caused by Meow. With the crew going on a quest to find the out of this world ramen. Because Meow ate Dandy's food stash. So Dandy forces him out an airlock- except that Meow has info on where to find this glorious food. So they go. While Meow continually gives away their position to the Gogol Empire through Twitter.
And in a very funny sentence, the Gogol Empire uses Gogol Galaxy Street view (a Google Street view joke.) And I can't take seriously a gorilla wearing an outfit that wouldn't look out of place in a blaxspoitation film.
I am very worried about next week's episode because the episode preview was just closeups of boobs and saying that it will be a fanservice episode. I hope it will not go as planned. Cause fanservice for the sake of fanservice is awful in my eyes. At least make it somewhat comedic. Parody it for goodness sake.
Cons: Animation style takes some getting used to (especially lighting and shadow definitions), the episode pacing is very quick and modern- unlike the old show.
The fun- "Soul Hoedown" a mix of Soul Train and Hee Haw, Dance "Pants" Revolution, a crunk reference- not to mention other references.
Overall a 7.7/ 10 (I think pacing is very important.)
Now background- I love the idea of space. The virtual emptiness where you can see in all the ranges of motion and all you can see is inky blackness punctuated by the light of heavenly bodies full of hydrogen. The idea that in such a large and foreboding tableau of sheer quiet- that true introspection can occur. Beautiful vistas full of harsh and alien landscapes with the welcome arms of the earthen ground. And what is separating you from a quick and exceeding painful death of your blood boiling? A spacesuit of your very own.
Now I waxed poetic. And so with heavy heart I say. . . is Space Dandy for real? Like was Shinichiro Watanabe serious? I mean I loved Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and I plan on watching Kids on the Slope. So with me listing things he's personally directed. . .I still have doubts on if I liked it. It was visually stunning and then the first half started and I facepalmed. Hard.
Welcome to Space!
I can't take Space Dandy seriously. I may be one for complete parody and that retro feel. (Cause the idea of a "dandy man in space" sounds in theory like the retro space feelings of writers like Heinlein and Arthur C. Clarke.. But what was nearly half the episode? Think of Hooters. . .in Space. And the main character who I am supposed to root for has a monologue about boobs. Sweet baby Moses I hope this is a parody of those perverted characters in anime, cause I hate the main dude right now. I knew that TV-14 rating was for a reason. If I wanted flashbacks to when I went to Hooters- nope just nope. Some things are just too stupid to remember. Come on I thought that the restaurant at the end of the universe would look different. At least the alien designs were cool. And there had to be translation choices that the translators did. I mean "I will follow him to infinity and beyond." "Robots can't get depressed. . .even outdated ones."
Really? The original script had a Toy Story line in a sentence and a jab at Marvin the Paranoid Android? Color me impressed. Sarcasm! I mean some people are a little miffed that the translations seems so phoned into American tastes. Just search for answers in the message boards. I am ambivalent either way.
Now we get to the latter half of the episode where our alien hunters go to a planet and go through warp drive. This part I liked. I am a fan of older science fiction and so this got the kind of plucky hero goes into an unfamiliar alien planet and does some pretty heroic things. And the visuals were actually quick paced and trippy, very Saturday morning cartoon fare, and retro future kinda stuff. The alien monsters were just imaginative. And that bored out of his mind narrator. Loved that. Oh there's totally a war going on. Yeah should have mentioned that. Look at all these cool aliens that we have no time to name. . .etc, etc.
Our Main Characters
Overall a fair beginning to an anime (Cowboy Bebop it is not. . .I can say that now.) If I had to rate this episode I would rate it 3/5 mainly because the first half is ridiculous with fanservice. (I've seen fanservice anime and even I was surprised at the costumes the female characters were parading around in. Especially when someone had to sign off with the idea.) Put some clothes on! I might have to bring out some Puritanical justice. And the beginning was just. . .the speech and the 4th wall breaking.
But it has a perverted Space Cat! So yay?
It is something. Does anybody know how many episodes this might have in total when its done. (Edit: looks like 13.) Cause my desire to finish an anime- no matter how stupid and ridiculous the premise- is wanting me to finish it. And I want to finish this weird younger brother of Cowboy Bebop.
Gonna stick with it out of masochism and a need to just realize that pilots are always kinda whack. So I'm going with my "Five episode" plan and if it doesn't hook me then; I am going to have a bumpy ride with this.
