Blu-ray review: Puella Magi Madoka Magica the Complete Series

This week we had a Blu-ray re-release of this anime series (which is one of my favorites by the way).  With the number rising with streaming, it's taking its slight toll on physical media (DVD and Blu-ray), and the major studios are no longer taking time and effort to create exciting new product for themselves.  However, there still is a market needed for this stuff.  So Blu-ray's are still coming out and DVD's, but are they cool and exciting.  The short answer is, not anymore.  Is this one exciting?  Well, let's find out.

Unless you're in the minority or a major anime fan, you have not heard of this series maybe.  With the success of the magical girl anime like Sailor Moon, more shows were made of that type.  However, they were mostly for kids like Pretty Cure (Glitter Force in one case, no time for that story).  This mini series tells the tale of Madoka and her friend Sayaka.  One day, they met a strange creature named Kyubey.  She offers them any wish, but in exchange, they must become magical girls and fight off witches (which are evil spirits rather than what you saw on The Wizard of Oz).  While I'm making this as spoiler free as possible, I will say the anime makes some turns that changes the genre of anime forever.  Fans already know what I mean.

Aniplex has always had a controversy over their blu-rays being overpriced, and this one is no exception, so you really are hoping that the discs are good.  Well, the bottom line is, they are.  You get all 13 episodes in a beautiful package.  It's not as big as the Sailor Moon sets by Viz, but let's remember, it's not a 100+ anime like Sailor Moon either.  You pull the cases out on the left instead of the right for some unknown reason.  One case has the first two discs, the other has the 3rd.  They did not reuse the art from the original Blu-ray releases except they sneak their way in on a little miniature handbook with the episode guide in the back.  The art used on the cases were not what I would have chosen (reversible by the way, there's stuff on the inside).  The discs themselves are taken exactly from the original releases, so nothing new has been added nor has anything been taken away.

The discs themselves are not too bad.  Considering this is a newer show, no need to talk about the video and audio quality.  Actually, Madoka has some of the best audio quality you can get.  When these discs first came out, they were ridiculed for the dub.  They said it was a terrible dub as most of the cast were newcomers to the profession.  They ended up being some of the best talents of the industry.  If the anime were to be dubbed today with the same cast as the announcement, everyone would be on their feet cheering and applauding and not wanting to wait.  The dub is excellent by the way, I don't see the problem.  Maybe it was the way they were pronouncing some names perhaps?  Of course they were all much better in the movies that came out later.  The bonus features are pretty typical to say the least for most anime blu-ray and DVD's.  You have your textless titles and trailers.  There's also a music video for Magia, the ending them used the most in this anime.  I have not looked at that feature yet, but knowing the song, it should be great.

If you are a fan of the series and you collect these things, you have everything that was on the previous releases.  It's a great shelf space saver for those who have not bought them on Blu-ray yet.  And if you are new to the series, I recommend looking at the episodes on streaming first (Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hulu), and then decide from there if it is worth the money.  Some of you may not even handle the series after around 4 episodes.  Again, I can't say why, but you'll just have to watch.  So, are you ready to make the contract with Kyubey and own this blu-ray?????????

Why Fans Should Stop Asking for Kill la Kill Season 2

WARNING:  The following blog post is about a show that may not be suitable for young children.  While this post may not reflect it as to be dirty, removing some elements from this post is just the same as saying it never existed.  Please if you are under the age of 18 ask your parents first before viewing or reading on.

There are a lot of things that grind my gears and this is one of them: Kill la Kill fans wanting a new season of the series.  Or worse....CONFIRMING that there is a new season without any credible source.
Ok....let's stop right here and point this out.....I LOVE Kill la Kill.  This is one of my all time favorite anime.  Sure it's.....kinky....but yet it has a purpose for all the fan service other than making a male hooked which most anime nowadays do.  So yes, like the fandom, I enjoy Kill la Kill very much.  HOWEVER......I am NOT asking for a second season.  That doesn't mean I won't get excited if it should happen, but it drives me nuts that everyone wants a second season of this anime.  Here are my top reasons why the fans should stop this nonsense immediately.

1. THE ENDING:  I won't spoil the series for those who haven't watched yet, but the series had an ending that has an end to all ending.  Even in the OVA, sure it looked like it would come back to the usual stuff, but once that was over...it proved it was all over.  If it were to hint at something and we didn't get another season, then fans have a right to complain.  EX: we should get season 4 of Sailor Moon Crystal.  The ending was vague.  What happens next?  However, because Kill la Kill has no foreshadowing, we can confirm that the series is over.

  2. QUALITY NOT QUANTITY:  I'm a fan of broadcasting, and I always believed that if you do 5 seasons of a show, then you have rerun value.  However, there are very rare exceptions to the rule.  You have your one season wonders which we'll talk about in a second.  Then on the flip side, you may do 5 seasons, maybe even 10 if your lucky, but somewhere along the line it may get to the point where fans would say STOP!  A show should not be judged by how many episodes you made, but how well you perform.  Neon Genesis Evangelion is an example of how long this show is well known to anime junkies around the globe, but all they made were 26 episodes plus a few movies, and when they made more stuff, they just went ahead and did another retelling of the story.  And outside of anime, The Honeymooners is one of the greatest TV sitcoms of all time yet only 39 episodes that were rerun for over 50 years.  People still laugh at the same jokes over and over again.  Why?  It was a high quality show.  Again, quality not quantity.  Right One Piece, right Simpsons, right Pokemon (whose quality may go downhill this year)?

3. IT'S NOT GOING ANYWHERE ANYTIME SOON: When Kill la Kill first came out, it became almost an instant hit.  Not to the extent that Attack on Titan or Cowboy Bebop did, but enough to have enough fans that want to watch, do fan art, buy merchandise, discuss til the end of time, cosplay, and much much more.  Hell, this anime even ended up on Cartoon Network's Toonmai (well, it's adult swim, but still)....they do not pick up small titles like Yuuki Yunna or something like that.  They wanted anime with staying power.  Sword Art Online, Gundam, Dragonball Z, and Akame ga Kill are all popular titles.  As long as there is a major fan base, the show will never go away.  It's not a failure, it was one season for a reason.

If they should do another project, it shouldn't be another season.  Maybe a movie project ala Madoka Magica or Evangelion should come to order.  Or why not another anime that is a spin off?  How about an anime about the Elite 4?  You know...a prequal talking in grave detail how they became the Elite 4.  How about give Mako Mancachoke her own anime?  It'd be just as entertaining, and yeah the action packed stuff may be gone, but the humor is still there for a slice of life anime starring Mako.  These ideas do not kill the story of Kill la Kill, but rather retell or enhance it.  A story that helps make the anime what it is.  It's not about sex, it's about clothing and relationships.  It's about enjoying your favorite characters.  It's about realizing whose the true bad guy as good guys aren't always just wearing the white hats.  Kill la Kill is awesome as it is, and if it means the same story over and over again, I'm alright with that.

Actually, a Rei Hououmaru spin off is not a bad idea either.......

Creepypastas and Conspiracy Theories: Pinky's the genius

This new series  of posts takes a look at some cartoon conspiracy theories and creepypastas just in time for Halloween.  We'll start with one of the biggest cartoon shows of the 1990's, Pinky and the Brain.

Pinky and the Brain were first a part of Animaniacs, but were soon a spin off series.  The plot is that brain comes up with plans to take over the world.  His partner Pinky is along for the ride and seems pretty dumb.  But is Pinky the dumb one???

Some fan theories say no.  In fact, based on some evidence presented by these theories, he's the genius.  Pinky always seems to say that each of Brain's plans is not a good idea, and each time he's right.  That's a fact as it's how it is in each episode.  But it doesn't prove who's smarter.  Notice in the theme song, there is no stupid character.  "One's a genius, the other's insane."  But they never specify which one is which.

In an episode of Pinky and the Brain, Brain makes a machine to figure out why his plans fail and it claims that it's all Pinky's fault.  He then builds a machine that turns Pinky into a genius.  However, Pinky still acts the same old self and finds an error in Brain's calculations.  The machine mistakenly says it's Pinky's fault why his plans fail, but really, it is all Brain's fault.

So is Pinky really the smart one?  Well, there is enough evidence that this would be the case.  Remember, one is a genius, the other's insane.  In my opinion, one would have to be insane to want to take over the world.  Need I remind you of Hitler and Nazi Germany?  But wait, Pinky don't look and act too smart.  How can this be?  Well, sometimes looks can be deceiving.  I believe Pinky has what we call Street Smarts.  This means that he's smart enough to know that something isn't right at times.  And every time he claims that, he is correct.  I doubt Pinky can solve the hardest equation, but compared to Brain, he has no ambitions nor any motive to do anything crazy as take over the world.

And that episode.  Why does Pinky still acts the same even though the smart machine was used on him?  Is it a failed calculation or is Pinky already that smart to begin with?  This theory is indeed a good one to think about being true unlike most.  An excellent fan theory filled with enough evidence in my opinion.

Sailor Mercury....This is Your Life

Remember the TV show "This is Your Life"?  Of course you don't, and neither did I; it was before our time.  No matter...here it is...based on the TV show and a WB cartoon called This is a Life?  This highlights a character as a look back to honor them.

I'm a major fan of Sailor Moon.  It's my favorite anime.  One of my favorite things to do is to celebrate the Sailor Scouts birthdays.  These are based off of official licensed products that talk about each of the characters.

Ah yes....September 10th.  My cousin got married that day......15 years ago, Donald Rumpsfelt said that the Pentagon could not account to like 2.3 trillion dollars in transactions and all of those records were destroyed the next day due to 9/11....but that's not important to our topic, the important thing is that one Sailor Guardian has a birthday that day.  She is a fan favorite because of her sweetness yet shy and quiet.  She is smart, but never obnoxious.  She is the second member to be awakened by Luna.  So get ready because..........

This is Your Life!!!!!!!!!!!!

Meet Ami Mizuno.  Some people call her Amy (by some people I mean DIC).  In her class, she's one of the smartest.  Always striving to do her best, she is a gifted and talented individual and her grade marks prove it.  Sadly, most of her peers would cold shoulder her because she is so smart.  This is why she keeps to herself, not having many friends.

That is...until a girl named Usagi showed up into her life.  Usagi was not afraid to talking to anyone new.  The two soon became good friends.  Of course, it was the thought of getting answers to questions at first since Usagi's pretty dumb, but it became much more than that.

Little did she know that not only was Usagi a Sailor Guardian, so is Ami herself.  She becomes Sailor Mercury.  For a brief moment until more guardians were to be awakened, the two were a duo.  And when more guardians were added, well she became very useful indeed.  Although her powers include water, her brain-smarts is her best power to her friends.  Nobody else could use a computer or technology like she can, and nobody looked cooler either.

 Just look at her wearing her glasses that read certain aspects such as the enemy's strengths and weaknesses.  Not only is it helpful, but it is both fashionable and cool.  

Has Ami ever found love?  Well, she never seems to be one to seek love all that much.  Whenever she gets a love letter from one of her many admires, she would break out in hives.  The fans were ok with that.  It shows how humble she really is.  Toei liked it a lot, so they decided to give Ami her own movie.  

Released in movie theaters all across Japan, Ami's First Love was a smash hit by her fans.  They were egar to see their hero, Sailor Mercury on the big screen, and boy did she stand out.  It didn't matter if it was only 10 minutes long.  Oh yeah, and it was billed with Sailor Moon Super S the Movie which had the reaction of "meh".  

Sadly, over time, it was still obvious that there are people who were still jealous of her.  Even the people who's job is to make her look good (I guess some people call them animators) got really jealous and gave her a new look.  They were so abusive to her that at times, her face would disfigure.  Her eyes were never the same as they once were.  And to add insult to injury, her peers began to make fun of her again.  Some even went as far as calling her names like Cookie Monster.  Thankfully, her fans stood up to these bullies, and by season 3 of Sailor Moon Crystal, they fixed her up and made her look good enough for the anime shows of today.

And now, as she continues to be the quiet sweetheart of the group, Sailor Mercury continues to inspire new fans who also feel shy and awkward.  The sky's the limits as she has hopes and dreams of becoming a doctor.  She made fans of us all.  To those who are proud to admit it, and to those who really don't want to admit that she's cute.  So let's have some Bubble Sprays, Aqua Rhapsodies, and one of my favorites, Shine Aqua Illusions, because Sailor Mercury.....THIS IS YOUR LIFE!!!!!!!!

That's all for this edition of This...Is a Life????  This program has been brought to you by Eagle Hands Dirty Laundry and The Delbert Cartoon Report.

Public Domain Highlights: Digiview Entertainment

This next highlight comes from one of the last PD companies to highly promote the public domain Looney Tunes.  And a very cheap company too.

Digiview was formed in the early 2000's.  Their primary goal was to release many titles for a cheap price.  This included family entertainment, classic films, and classic TV shows, and the public domain cartoons were no exception.  For about a buck per disc, you get at least one hour of entertainment (or so they say) on their discs.

Our primary goal is to cover the cartoon section.  Their first line of cartoons were the Cartoon Craze.

These titles were mix and matches of many public domain cartoons.  Although the main cartoon may be a Bugs Bunny one, that does not mean the whole disc is nothing but Bugs Bunny cartoons.  No indeed, it would be another PD cartoon.  So it wouldn't be a full hour of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, or whoever is represented on the cover.

An unusual line of DVDs they did were for the supposed public domain episodes of Kimba the White Lion.  These versions are the 1993 dubs as opposed to the original dubs that aired in the 60's and official releases once again proved superior.
Digiview took a step further by somehow sub-licensing animation cheap......REAL cheap.  Remember, it's one buck per disc.  So....the cartoons aren't even B's, but maybe C's.  They were cartoons made in Australia or kiddie anime shows and movies.  Some of these titles includes Dot and Kangaroo, animated adaptations of Treasure Island or Westward Ho, and Thumbelina.  Even Monster Rancher was part of the deal, which was on Fox Kids, so it really was a matter of what was fast and cheap.  The Thumbelina anime was the US version which means that the entire series was cut into an 80 minute movie.  Very bad.....

Now I wouldn't scream ripoffs of Disney with these titles however, because these were not original productions.  To anime fans these are not what we wanted.  These bad dubs were bad back then as anime did not have the treatment it has today with companies like Funnimation.  Still, there's more bang for that buck.

In 2006, Digiview released Toon Factory.  These DVD's were like the Cartoon Craze, but with much more cartoons.  These are your typical suspects.  However, by this point WB put out their 4th Golden Collection DVD's which were superior, and since these DVD's were much cheaper, that's when WB put the stop to their cartoons being widely available even if they are public domain (a few more companies did slide, but were not widely displayed like Digiview's DVDs).  The quality of these DVD's varied.  Most were fair.  Many WB cartoons were at the wrong speed.  Some had different opening titles for no apparent reason.  Some of the Popeyes had different sound effects added.  Digiview even did one big tin boxed set of all of these Toon Factory cartoons.

As you see, the artwork on these covers are not bad looking as they are recreated to the exact degree of what they would have looked like in the cartoons themselves.  The series continued on in 2007.  With their final volumes....they are........

ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE.  As stated in a previous post, it's been debated whether or not those 98 or so syndicated Bullwinkle Shows are in the public domain or not.  Nevertheless, these were select episodes from those prints.  More specifically was the Buried Treasure storyline from season 2.  Picture quality varies.  Many are fair, but with each print comes different issues such as cutting down the intros for time (when aired on TV).  The discs themselves are just the Rocky and Bullwinkle segments (well, at least one of them for sure).  A Mr. Know it All may sneak in.  And the sound was mmmm...not that good.  Buzzing and standard mono quality could be heard, and The Bullwinkle Show intros and (if they show up) outros have rumblings heard (which may have been a dupe when ready for syndication by P.A.T./General Mills).  All is not lost though, the official DVD's never even as bonus features released those intros and outros nor the original theme to Rocky and Bullwinkle, but the official releases still proved better in quality control.

Digiview ended up folding soon after.  They couldn't keep up with what the main owners were doing with their library and not to mention the downhill spiral of DVD's thanks to streaming, but boy did they release a lot, and by God they tried....they really really did.  They just didn't have someone who knew these things involved.

UPDATE:  Anime News Newtork's Justin Sevakis just talked about Digiview's handling with anime.  This was a specific studio called Enoki Films.  Here's what he had to say:

"Digiview Entertainment had a deal with Enoki Films to release some of their old dubbed kids-friendly titles such as Thumbelina: A Magical Storyand Huck and Tom's Mississippi Adventures. Digiview also released several Korean-produced features from the 80s that were made with cels clearly bootlegged from mechaanime TV series that were in production at the time and partially outsourced to Korea. Given fake American credits and dubbed horribly, these films (given laughably generic names like Space Thunder Kids and Defenders of Universe) were pretty much unwatchable. (I had copies of all of them before selling them on eBay last year.) These films were being sold by a Hong Kong-based company called IFD Films and Arts (infamous among bad movie aficionados for producing incoherent kung fu and ninja movies by schlockmeister Godfrey Ho). "

Ohhhhh yeah.  I know about these rip offs.  One of my good friends, Chase Pritchard and his animation buddies streamed one of these one day.  Believe me when I say, YOU DON'T WANNA WATCH THESE.  The other anime shows like Thumbelina and The Wonderful Galaxy of Oz, sure they may be good, but remember, this is not Funnimation.  These are edited down to a movie (probably in the 90's).  You get a taste at how bad anime adaptations (or fake anime stuff like Solar Adventures) really were in the 80's.

Hee-Haw's Animated Critters

In 1969, CBS canceled the controversial Smothers Brothers show and replaced it with another variety show.  Titled Hee-Haw, this show unlike most was targeted towards country music fans.  Buck Owens and Roy Clark hosted the show each week, and the show featured comedy, jokes, and country music by the greatest stars of the time like Dolly Parton and Merl Haggart .

As part of the series, some animated segments were made for the series.  Much has been said about the TV show, the stars of the show, the comedy, and the music stars that performed, but very little has been talked about Hee-Haw's Animated Critters.

These segments were animated by Format Films.  Format Films is best known for The Alvin Show and The Lone Ranger cartoons.  Their UPA/Jay Ward style animation made them a great pick for the show.  Even at the beginning of the show, you saw the donkey going "Hee-Haw" with his eyes rolling around and around.

But the donkey wasn't the only character.  Others include The Little Yellow Chicken, a pig, and a few more chickens.  Sometimes they only show up just to laugh at a joke someone just made or just to have some comedy of their own.  The most popular one was probably The Little Yellow Chicken whose joke was always laying an egg, but when the chicken looks down, it's not an egg.  It was a bomb or maybe a football or even a billiard ball, and always inflicting pain on the chicken.

Below are some more pictures of these cartoons.

You don't have to hang from a tree to be a nut

While these segments are a nice touch to the show, the show as a whole is an acquired taste for some.  Many of the jokes range from funny to just plain stupid.  Not everyone like country music, and the show can get corny.  However, some may check out some eye candy here and there.  The set looks good, and for those interested....they did have standards for many of the "farm girls" you see on the show.  While I don't see those specifications for girls wanting to be on Hee-Haw, most of them I agree were pretty.  And at the end of the day, they will never make shows like this anymore without being dirty.