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Reviews
Saint Seiya: Oo abare! Karibu no Ghosts Saints (1987)
Meet the Ghost Saints
Ah, the Ghost Saints. (Not to be confused with the Ghost Saints from the Eris movie)
I think they might be the less popular characters from the series, perhaps even less than the extremely controversial Steel Saints trio.
Why, you might ask? Well, for starters, their design was a little bit goofy, wearing some sea life-themed spandex suits instead of regular armors.
In addition to that, they were a little bit generic antagonists, though I always liked their leader Geist due her unusual powers and
her friendship with Ophiuchus Shaina.
The two episodes featuring them are still entertaining to watch anyway, despite (or maybe because) the inclusion of a couple of unusual elements which would end becoming rarer in later arcs.
While some fans dislike the seemingly more "mundane" elements of the filler episodes made by Toei, I do like how they give more human qualities to the main characters, showing them interacting and helping ordinary people, an element often overlooked by most of the spin-offs and movies.
Aria (2001)
An unusual approach to Madame Butterfly
In my opinion, the segment directed by Jonathan Hills from the television movie "Opera imaginaire" is perhaps the best adaptation of Madame Butterfly into film.
In just a bit more than four minutes, it manages to do a beautiful summary of the overall plot of the play, accompanied by the aria "Un bel di, vedremo".
By contrast, this stop-motion adaptation has a more post-modern, almost irreverent vibe. It has, however, a rather moving ending, in which the suicide of Cio-Cio-San is depicted through a fourth wall breaking sequence, with her dismantling each piece of her body until nothing is left.
A very original, impressive approach which takes full advantage of the medium, in my opinion.
On the other hand, the sex scene at the beginning was a little bit too awkward for my taste, feeling kinda reminiscent of the "Only a Woman" sequence from Team America: World Police.
But other than that, it was a pretty interesting short which I sincerely recommend.
Tree Robo (2005)
A neat CGI Korean short
A Korean CGI short from Moon-saeng Kim, director from the visually impressive anime film Wonderful Days (Also known as "Sky Blue" in the United States and the United Kingdom)
Like in "Wonderful Days", there is a strong enviromentalist theme here, dealing with the ways in which technology can affect nature, both positively and negatively.
While it was clearly intended to be seen in 3D, it can be perfectly enjoyed in a normal manner, and personally I think the visuals have aged gracefully, in comparison with many other animated movies and shows from the same era.
Even when the ending was kinda nonsensical, its emotional impact was effective enough for me.
There is a strong story here, which could be easily developed into a full feature length film exploring the premise and the characters.
A shame it remains to be such an obscure work to this very day.
For all its flaws, Wonderful Days had plenty of captivating elements, and it would have been nice to see more animations by Moon-saeng Kim.
¿Gustas? (1997)
Brief, but effective anti-drug PSA
An extremely brief anti-drug claymation, barely lasting about 20 seconds (Not counting the credits)
This is also one of the very few animated shorts directed by Rigo Mora (A Mexican animator from Jalisco who was a very close friend of Guillermo del Toro, who in turn made a) which I was able to find online on its entirety.
The animation is a bit crudely done, but I must say the somewhat unpolished visuals end working on its favor, adding a more nightmarish effect, particularly in the sequence where the drug addict starts melting.
Despite its extreme brevity, I found its use of imagery to be quite well done.
Worth-watching.
6.5/10.
Saint Seiya: Cygnus! Hyogen no senshi (1986)
Cygnus Hyoga appears
A pretty solid introduction for Hyoga, the Cygnus saint.
On these first episodes, he was the character with the most captivating aura, having a tragic backstory and very cool (no pun intended) powers.
He also had a rather imposing demeanor, feeling like the typical "bad boy" character which usually ends becoming the rival of the protagonist in this type of anime series, and the end of this particular episode definitely gave the impression he was going to fight Seiya at one point.
However, once Ikki was introduced, the dynamic between the main cast changed completely, with Ikki becoming the "cool, dark character with an edgy personality" while Hyoga was sidelined into a more bitter role, being often forced to fight against all his mentors and friends (First the Crystal Saint, then Camus, and then Isaac, his childhood partner), and in each one of those fights the Cygnus saint was revealed to have a very vulnerable soul underneath his initial cold facade.
Despite this, he still has plenty of fans, and I myself think he is perhaps one of the most interesting characters of the whole series due his inner emotional conflicts, opposed to his somewhat more stoic companions. But boy, he surely had a harsh life, being often chastised just for keeping a strong memory of his deceased mother.
And poor Ichi never stood a chance against Hyoga. And like the other secondary Bronze saints, he was relegated to a background role for the rest of the series, if appearing at all. (Not to mention he was put as a mere comic relief in Saint Seiya Omega)
While the whole Galaxian Wars arc was dropped very quickly, I think it would have been entertaining to see a battle of Seiya againts Hyoga once in the series (Since we already saw a fight of Hyoga against Shiryu in the Battle of the Gods movie)
Carn (2012)
A brief, but intense animation.
Part fairy-tale and part a tale of survival, the addition of certain whimsical elements (such as a talking animal) does not detract at all the grittiness of the plot, particularly on its rather cruel, sudden conclusion in which breaking a promise is meet with a terrible price, in a similar way to many old legends and myths.
I honestly didn't expect such a dark conclusion, but it certainly give it a more memorable effect.
As for the technical aspect, the animation is pretty stylish on its depiction of characters and sceneries, not to mention its captivatingly somber atmosphere.
Definitely worth-watching, even if tragic conclusions are not your thing.
Stickin' Around (1996)
Underrated
I remember Stickin' Around used to be aired on Nickelodeon somewhere during the late nineties; back then I used to think said show was part of the Nicktoons line produced by that channel.
And it was a fun, charming show I enjoyed watching.
It seems some people hate this series merely based on the crude art style (reminiscent of the doodles made by little kids), but such simplistic is pretty fitting to depict the playful imagination of the two main characters, with a naive charm a more polished aesthetic
wouldn't be able to match.
In some ways, this reminded me a bit of Diary of a Wimpy Kid (The original books, not the horrible live-action movies), albeit with a much less cynical tone.
Even if it was "cheaply drawn", the characters were likeable and stories entertaining and relatable. And personally, I think it is just as much deserving of appreciation as other slice of life animations from the 90s, such as Recess, Hey Arnold and Doug.
Rabbit Habit (1975)
Bugs the junkie
A fan-made Looney Tunes short from 70s aimed at adults, depicting Elmer Fudd as a drug dealer, and Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck as junkies.
I guess we can say "Rabbit Habit" was way ahead of its time, considering how this same exact type of parody (depicting wholesome cartoon or video game characters doing drugs) was done pretty often in several Newgrounds and Youtube animations from the 2000s (Though in those times Mario was the most frequent target of such type of humor) until the joke was milked dry, becoming a relic of a begone internet era.
Despite the awful animation and the bad voice acting (It was a student film with zero budget, after all), there is a genuine love towards the Looney Tunes displayed here, lacking the malice many modern parodies tend to have.
Apparently Tex Avery had the chance of seeing this short and loved it.
Dororo: Hyakki maru no maki sono ichi (1969)
Way ahead of its time
After seeing the first episode of Big X, I gained some interest for 60s anime shows, and this time I decided to watch the first anime adaptation of Dororo, another show created by Osamu Tezuka, the same man behind classics such Astroboy and Kimba the White Lion.
I was frankly pleasantly surprised to discover how ahead of its time this series was, at least from what can be seen on its very first episode: Despite the cartoonish character designs, this is a somber series, far more violent and cynical than other animated shows from the same era, without romanticizing at all the particular period of Japanese history where the story takes place.
How many other television series from the same era would go as far as showing rotting corpses on streets, or people being melted alive? The premise alone of man sacrificing the body parts from his son to demons in exchange for power is already haunting enough.
And meanwhile, in the west we got stuff like Scooby Doo the same year this series was originally released.
Such a world of difference, isn't it?
Gumbasia (1953)
Clay magic
The very first claymation short by Art Clokey, creator of Gumby and the Christian series Davey and Goliath.
I must confess I never had the chance of seeing any Gumby-related material during my childhood, so I'm not biased in that aspect. And personally, while the stop-motion used here is not incredibly polished or "sophisticated", I still found this a pretty engaging, almost hypnotic watching-experience.
Being a rather abstract work, there isn't any real plot or characters to discuss about, but the visual display here is captivating enough to keep my attention: Inanimate matter comes to life here. Clokey turns his clay into shapes and landscapes that almost feel like breathing creatures, mutating constantly in front of our eyes in perfect harmony with the music.
The face winking its eye to the viewers at the end kinda breaks the illusion, playfully reminding us the whole thing is just a visual trick. But it was still something pretty wonderful to behold while it lasted.
Lighthouse (2008)
The light of solidarity
Wow, apparently a lot of students had to write a school assignment about this short according to the Youtube comment section.
The short itself is quite brief, with a direct and simple message about the importance of solidarity.
A very important, valid message. (Especially in times like these, with selfishness and narcissism being strongly encouraged by social media) But with only three minutes of lenght, there doesn't seem to be much to be said about the story and the characters.
I mean, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't bad particularly groundbreaking either.
Still, it was nice to see for once a tale encouraging communal effort to make things better instead of yet another tale where a single soul has to save the day.
Only working together for the common good people can make a real difference in this world. But as long we keep waiting for someone else to solve everything, nothing will change.
World of Warcraft: Reckoning (2019)
Impressive CGI
I must confess I never played Warcraft game in my life; I have nothing against that franchise, I just never got into it.
My only contact to that series was the 2016 film, which I found merely okay. Still better than the large majority of films inspired by video games churned out by Hollywood, but I wasn't crazy about it.
Durotan was the most likeable member of the cast, but sadly he ends dying pretty early on, and once the movie starts focusing in the human characters, I kinda lost my interest.
But I think this was a very nice CGI short, far more interesting than that movie. It has a rather impressive visual fare, which made me think Warcraft would work better in animation. And with the orcs as the main protagonists.
Hubert's Brain (2001)
Ugly CGI, but fun story
While the visual aspect from this short animation from the early 2000s hasn't aged particularly well (A very common occurrence with many other CGI works from the same era) and despite the rather ugly aesthetic used for the characters, the cartoonish wackiness of the plot still has a certain charm, feeling almost like a slightly more "risque", weirder version of shows like Jimmy Neutron.
The twist at the end was genuinely unexpected.
I'm not really sure if this could have worked as a full series, though.
I must confess the only reason I decided to watch this was due how the imdb page image almost gave me the impression this was going to be something much creepier and experimental.
6/10 (Remove 3 stars if you are bothered by ugly CGI)
Daft Punk: Da Funk (1997)
Dog Man
In a certain way, this feels more like a experimental short film than a music video, with the Daft Punk song playing a secondary role as some sort of background element.
That isn't necessarily bad, though I must say the story here kinda overshadows the tune rather than enhancing it (As normally expected from a typical music video): The unfortunate dog-man steals the show here, with his small misfortunes in the big city being pretty relatable to anyone experiencing a similar bad luck streak.
Even when Thomas Bangalter has claimed this particular video "has no meaning", that does not diminish its emotional effect, perfectly capturing the feeling of frustration and impotence during those moments in life when nothing seems to go right.
At least Charles the dog-man got a happier ending in "Fresh", where he appears again, this time in a much better situation.
Let's dance with Papa (1999)
If you like South Park, then this is your anime
At first glance, it would be easy to think this show was intended to be some sort of Japanese response to the success South Park, being filled with swearing, grossout jokes, and kid characters being involved in all kinds of inappropiate situations. (In addition to that, the cast of Latin American dub also worked in South Park...And also in The Fairly OddParents)
However, turns out the original comics which served as inspiration for this anime started in 1991, showing once again this type of shocking comedy has always existed.
While the animation is not particularly great, I must say this series made laugh a lot, though its humor is definitely not for everyone, with plenty of moments that cross the line in a rather outrageous manner. I do admit a couple of moments were genuinely way too disgusting for my taste.
Those bothered by crass content probably should skip this series. It might be very short, but Let's dance with Papa is genuinely far more messed up and offensive than the early South Park seasons.
Recess: The C-Note (2000)
Honesty
Even when T. J. was supposed to be seen as some kind of troublemaking rascal similar to Bart Simpson, most of the time he plays the role of a virtuous paragon, with this particular episode being the most blatant example of such characterization: After finding a $100 bill, good ole T. J. wants to share it with his friends instead of keeping it all to himself, and then he decides to return the bill to its righteous owner.
But the writing is so clever and fun that this chapter doesn't come off as something preachy, despite the obvious lesson about honesty.
And speaking of honesty, I must confess the rich guy who "lost" the titular C-Note gave me an extremely condescending impression, purposely leaving bills around town just to secretly "test" the citizens. What kind of person does something like that?
Nobody, but a smug jerk with some deeply embedded fairy godmother complex. That, or a character from a cartoon show aimed at kids.
Man, I wish I had my own jetpack.
Big X: Here Comes Big X (1964)
The beginning of TMS Entertainment
Recently, TMS Entertainment (The animation studio formerly known as Tokyo Movie Shinsha, which was behind anime series like Lupin The Third, The Rose of Versailles and Magic Knight Rayearth, working as well in some western series such as The Mighty Orbots, Tiny Toons Adventures, Animaniacs and Cybersix) has uploaded to its Youtube channel the initial episode of Big X, its very first series, an adaptation of a lesser known manga by Osamu Tezuka from the sixties.
Despite the obvious technical limitations from the era, watching this is still a fascinating piece of anime history, feeling pretty much like a precedent for the Ultraman series, featuring a story of a boy who becomes a giant superhero fighting against nazis.
It's worth noting that, even when it is clearly aimed at kids, in typical old school anime fashion, this series is not afraid of having dark and dramatic elements, with the protagonist losing his father at the end of this first episode. It even included a brief reference to Hitler's suicide!
Such kind of content would be automatically labelled as something "for adults" these days, due how ridiculously sanitized shows for children have become in the recent years. Even the movies aimed at adults made by Hollywood tend to talk down the audience in a rather condescending manner.
While this episode was uploaded as way to celebrate the 60th anniversary of TMS entertainment, I hope a couple of more episodes are uploaded, though it seems that the large majority of the series is currently lost.
Os Rubbles (2002)
A blast from the past
I almost completely forgot about this short series of shorts which used to be shown on Cartoon Network somewhere around the early 2000s, back then when The Osbournes was still on air.
Since I never watched that series, the parody element totally went over my head back then, but I still enjoyed seeing these mini-animations during commercial breaks, almost feeling as an Adult Swim show despite being shown during the regular programming.
Parodies like this, as well the CN Groovies gave the channel a very distinct identity which made it very fun to watch during those years, but now such kind of content is basically gone in order to give more room to commercials. Even worse, Cartoon Network seems to be on its last legs, with the closing of its studio building and its official website.
I honestly think this could have worked as full series.
Catherine (2017)
Poor Catherine
This short starts in a very sweet manner, looking at first glance at something aimed at children; yet as the story progresses, its tone gets more bitter.
There is also a shift in tone on the final act, which goes into full black comedy mode, no longer showing tenderness or empathy towards the main character, just a rather cruel irony.
I honestly don't know what to think about the ending: Maybe the message here was about the dangers of clinging to the past in a rather unhealthy manner without opening to the other people, but I still felt way too unfair, with Catherine being left completely alone.
I personally think the belief that women who don't become mothers being doomed to become crazy cat-ladies is frankly sexist, not to mention that not all the people who have children are necessarily more mature and selfless (To this day, there are many parents who think of their kids as their property)
At first I thought such kind of mentality was going to be criticized, but instead it embraces the usual "marry and have kids, or else you will end alone and miserable" lesson, which honestly detracts the positive aspects this short had.
That said, I still think this is a solid work with a great animation style, despite the cynical undertones of the plot, which left me with a sour taste in mouth, as it seems to be mocking people who has trouble socializing.
Catherine (2017)
Poor Catherine
This short starts in a very sweet manner, looking at first glance at something aimed at children; yet as the story progresses, its tone gets more bitter.
There is also a shift in tone on the final act, which goes into full black comedy mode, no longer showing tenderness or empathy towards the main character, just a rather cruel irony.
I honestly don't know what to think about the ending: Maybe the message here was about the dangers of clinging to the past in a rather unhealthy manner without opening to the other people, but I still felt way too unfair, with Catherine being left completely alone.
I personally think the belief that women who don't become mothers being doomed to become crazy cat-ladies is frankly sexist, not to mention that not all the people who have children are necessarily more mature and selfless (To this day, there are many parents who think of their kids as their property)
At first I thought such kind of mentality was going to be criticized, but instead it embraces the usual "marry and have kids, or else you will end alone and miserable" lesson, which honestly detracts the positive aspects this short had.
That said, I still think this is a solid work with a great animation style, despite the cynical undertones of the plot, which left me with a sour taste in mouth, as it seems to be mocking people who has trouble socializing.
Perihelion (2013)
Beautifully dark
Along with The Clockwork Elves, this might be one of the best animations made by Nick Cross.
It might bleak, visceral and nightmarish, yet I wasn't able to look away for any second.
The little cartoonish animals (It wasn't clear for me if they were supposed to be rabbits or mice, or simply some kind of Smurf-esque fantasy creature) from Yellow Cake appear once again here for an even darker tale without an ounce of humor, just a bitter depiction of current world affairs accompanied by eerie religious imagery.
If you liked this, "Leviathan", another brief but impressive short by Cross (Sadly, not registered on imdb) is worth a look, too.
Recess: Big Ol' Mikey (2000)
Absurd, but fun
This episode is kinda nonsensical, but fun to watch anyway.
Not really sure what is the message here, but there is still an endearing quality in the way in which the Recess gang fantasizes about Mikey becoming a giant. Even Gretchen, for all her scientific knowledge, doesn't seem to question at all the idea of a 50 feet tall human being.
Mikey's nightmare about becoming a Godzilla-esque monster with a very polite demeanor was one of the funniest scenes from the whole series, in my opinion.
I consider this one of the best episodes from the short-lived fifth season of Recess, being cleverly executed disregard of the silly premise.
8.5/10.
Recess: A Career to Remember (1999)
The future is now
While I was watching this episode, I was impossible for me to not think about that horrid Recess sequel pitch leaked a few months ago (Which ironically enough, lead me to start watching this series)
Assuming that thing is canon (It was written by the Recess creators, after all), there is something quite cynical in the way life turned out for the main characters, without none of them achieving their childhood dreams (Mikey was the closest one, becoming a succesful singer, just to die from some unspecified disease)
I mean, while it's true most people rarely ends getting their dream job (And I must confess that, despite being a very good team leader, I can hardly imagine T. J. as the president of the United States...Or as a superhero, but even that would have been truer to the character than trying to give him The Last Jedi treatment) a lot of the ideas displayed in that planned sequel were frankly deranged (And not in a good way), to the point of almost feeling like a Robot Chicken sketch.
To make things more ironic, Spinelli, who spends most of this particular episode worried about her future due their inability to choose a career, is the one who (apparently) ends having the most succesful, happier adult life as a lawyer married with Vince (Who in turn becomes a failed athlete).
A fun chapter with a nice message, but I sincerely hope that horrible "Next Bell" sequel never gets made. It was possibly one of the worst ideas Disney had in a long time. And that's saying a lot, considering the quality of most of their recent output.
Captain Star: A Galaxy of Stars (1997)
Could have been a nice finale
This could have been a nice series finale, and I think it would have worked better as the closure for the first season than the following episode, "A Galaxy of Stars".
That episode isn't bad at all, mind you. But I think the final thoughts from Captain Star in the final scene about always leaving audience wanting for more would have been an oddly poetical conclusion, while "A Galaxy of Stars" felt more like a regular episode.
Despite the humorous tone of the series, is still kinda sad that Captain Star and his crew never got their orders (Though there is a subtle implication they were basically left forgotten in the Nameless Planet due them being past of their prime)
I have to wonder if their situation would have changed if the series had been renewed for a second season, or if they had been left waiting forever.
Captain Star certainly left me wanting for a continuation of his bizarre adventures.
Captain Star (1997)
An underrated gem from the 90s
Such a shame this series remains to be an obscure oddity from the nineties, since it had a pretty imaginative writing style: Imagine a mixture of Star Trek, Gilligan's Island and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy done in the style of a Nicktoon, and then you would probably got Captain Star as a result.
The humor from this series is very subtle and witty, filled with plenty of jokes that probably went over the heads of it is supposed target audience, feeling more like a show for adults than kids, even if there wasn't any kind of explicit content.
Sad how it was so short-lived. Personally, I think this show would have been more succesful nowadays as an online series, with this type of surreal science-fiction being more appreciated among young people (Just think about stuff like ENA or The Amazing Digital Circus)