Summer Wars (Mamoru Hosoda, 2009)

The Proposal + The Celebration + Tron + Scott Pilgrim + War Games = Summer Wars?

I found a little something from all of those films contained in Hosoda's followup to his 2006 release, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. (a title I enjoyed very much)

I thought this was a solid film, though a little convoluted at times. There's some interesting animation here, especially the sequences which take place within the online world. The story deals with the importance of family (in this case a very large one), and touches on the perils of an over-reliance on technology.

I've seen and heard Miyazaki's name brought up in discussions about Hosoda, which I'm sure must flatter him. It seems like a lot of pressure though, and I hope the comparisons don't detract from the solid work he's done so far. Definitely someone to keep an eye out for in the future.

Summer Wars: Trailer

R.I.P. Carl Macek

(October 12, 1951 – April 17, 2010)

The man who brought The Super Dimension Fortress Macross, Super Dimension Cavalry Southern Cross, and Genesis Climber Mospeada (say those titles three times quickly) to North America as Robotech passed away April 19th.

As children, most of us were fed a diet of cartoons that followed a very simple good vs evil plot line. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I appreciated the deeper storyline and complex characters in Robotech.

Anyway, that's all I have to say. For more on Robotech, you can read my Robotech soap opera appreciation post here, or watch the following tribute video put together by a fellow Robotech nerd.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Mamoru Hosada, 2006)

TIME LEAP???

Never been really big on Anime.

It's one nerd element I've never really felt the need to dive into. I've checked out the must see classics (Akira, Ninja Scroll, Ghost In The Shell), and watched some of the starter drug anime series (Macross, DBZ, Naruto). For the most part, it's been action adventure, fantasy and science fiction. Giant mechs, ninjitsu, blood, guts; you know, boys stuff.

I believe this is the first time I've watched an anime of this ilk. There's an obvious element of science fiction that drives the plot (check the title, eh), but for the most part it plays out like a teeny bop, high school drama. Tests to write, boys to fall for, rivals to fend off. The protagonist, Makoto Konna, stumbles -literally- into an object allowing her to time travel and as expected from a teenager, heedlessly uses them to solve minor problems: tests, boys and rivals.

Time travelling almost always has consequences, and Makoto soon learns that her actions may be hurting those around her. It provides for a great third act that may tug on your heartstrings if you're a big softie.

I liked this film a hell of a lot more than I expected. If it sounds like your kind of thing, it comes with my recommendation.

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time: Trailer

Rock Lee vs Gaara

Classic anime battle.

Lol @ Naruto's insistence on calling Lee, "Fuzzy Eyebrows".

Beast King GoLion

I wonder if the Japanese kids realized how lucky there were?

Before airing in North America as Voltron, they hacked and slashed all of the hacking and slashing out of the show.

Ahhh...to be a child again.



Beast King GoLion, Collection 1 & 2 in stores now.

A Fighter Pilot, A First Officer, And A Pop Star

Or: My First Soap Opera

Though I was exposed to a lot of The Young and the Restless as a child, the citizens of Genoa had nothing on the good people of Macross City. Robotech: The Macross Saga (a localization of The Super Dimension Fortress Macross) arrived in North America in 1985. . I recall my brothers and cousins ignoring this show (they still do), due to its mature subject matter and slow pace. In particular, I remember their disgust when watching the kissing scene. I was probably a bit shocked myself, but the show had already hooked me. There was no way gross kissing would stop me from tuning in every week. I loved every bit of this show. Well...almost every bit.

I'm about to start another Robotech Macross marathon, because I haven't watched the series in years, but to this day I am still bothered by the way the love triangle was resolved. The Reader's Digest version of the story goes like this.

• Rick meets Minmei (I'm using the Japanese spelling because it looks cooler).
  
• Rick saves Minmei's life, then falls in love with her.
  
• Minmei begins working for her family's restaurant, becoming too busy for Rick.
  
• Rick joins the "army" as suggested by Minmei.
  
• Minmei enters (and wins) a beauty pageant, which naturally leads to a career as a pop star and a movie star (imagine that).
  
• Minmei has even less time for Rick.
  
• Rick sad :-(
  
• Tension starts to develop between Rick and "sour puss" first officer Lisa Hayes (booo).
  
• Rick and Lisa are captured by the enemy, and are forced to kiss (to save their lives of course).
  
• Rick and Lisa begin to develop feelings for each other.
  
• Rick is in love with two women.
  

Finally episode 35 comes around. Minmei is tired of the responsibilities of being a star and ends up at Rick's doorstep. They spend Christmas Eve together and the episode ends with them sharing a kiss. Finally! The moment I had waited for since episode one. At 9 years old, this thing called love finally made sense to me. If you're just patient, the girl who you love, who you're supposed to be with will eventually come around (on Christmas Eve). Everything was right in the world. Or so I thought.

Rick was called back to war and despite Minmei's pleas, he could not turn his back on his duty (or some crap like that). He also comes to the conclusion that he should be with Lisa (boo). Having the military thing in common apparently makes them better suited for each other. Minmei soon concedes. My heart breaks.

Why would Rick Hunter choose the older, sour puss, military woman, over the cute, pop star celebrity?

From that moment on, love would never make sense to me.

Deus Ex Machina: The Wearable Motorcycle

It's not exactly a Mospeada/Cyclone, but it looks fun.

I wonder how comfortable it is?

Wired