From: takahash@ntmtv.UUCP (Alan Takahashi)
Subject: Re: Anime Reviews for the Tokyo Area  (ver. 2.1)
Reply-To: takahash@ntmtv.UUCP (Alan Takahashi)
Organization: Northern Telecom Inc, Mountain View, CA
Date: Fri, 16 Oct 1992 19:37:32 GMT

In article <BvzAsI.C2M@jrd.dec.com#  doi@jrd.dec.com (Curtis Hoffman) writes:
#                  Anime Reviews for the Tokyo Area  (ver. 2.1)
# 
# [...]
# 
#    Yawara!:
# [...]
#    No question, this was one of the best series on Japanese television
# to date.  And, it has ended as of September 21.  Damn, damn, damn.

This is *definitely* a series that I'll miss...

#    The last episode was not animated as well, or as evenly as it could
# have been -- it seemed very rushed in certain scenes.  But the ending was
# pretty strong, and kind of up-beat.  Basically, the series followed the
# manga right up to the end of the All-Japan Women's Tournament episode of
# the manga.  And the series then just ended as it stood.

If I followed that correctly, that means that the anime *didn't* follow
Yawara to Barcelona??

#    Minky Momo:
#    A children's series, aimed mainly at young girls.  I've only been
# able to watch a few episodes, and they're animated as well as one would
# expect for a TV show.  But there's some nice visual jokes, and
# some interesting story twists.  If you can ignore the cute characters,
# big eyes, and non-violent action, then you can appreciate a show that is
# leaps and bounds better than its Western equivalents.  I rate it higher
# than most of the anime on Japanese TV right now.

...and *that's* what surprised me the most about Minky Momo.  I 
already knew what the target audience was, so I was expecting
something along the lines of the Smurfs.  I admit that I got that
opinion by looking at the cute cels of Minky Momo at Anime Expo...

Minky Momo has the usual sort of simplistic plots, but managed not
to fall into formula and, though you *knew* that everything would
work out in the end, kept the tension up at points.


#    One of the best sequences had two neighboring islands worshipping
# statutes of Minky (placed there when Minky's grandmother was a playful,
# young child-goddess.)  The problem is, the statues show Minky as a child
# on one island, and a grown woman on the other.  This causes the
# islanders to fight bitter wars, to determine which one is worshipping
# the true faith.  Minky stumbles across this, and ultimately gets so
# frustrated at not being able to stop the war, that she uses her wand to
# turn into a young woman in camo fatigues, and carrying a bazooka.  She
# shoots the volcanoes on both islands, causing them to erupt (which does
# stop the war...)

I *did* like this one, but I'm afraid that the new season for Minky
Momo has more misses that hits so far.  Some of the episodes were
just......strange....

BTW, is there a new obsession with image songs?  They tend to break in
and disrupt the story flow with an image song (because you can't HELP
but notice it).  I've noticed this with Minky Momo, Marie-Belle, and
even Sailor Moon...all within a 1 month period.  Minky Momo did it
*twice*...


#    Sailor Moon:
# [...]
#    Hitoshi thinks that since Ramna 1/2 and Yawara! have ended, and
# Dragon Ball Z may wrap up with the end of the current storyline,
# Sailor Moon will be the only continuing series worth summarizing.
# *I* think that he should switch to summarizing Mary Bell, first.

Ahhh, here I disagree.  I've seen "Sailor Moon" up to episode 26
(thanks, Chris!), and scattered episodes of "Marie-Belle".  The
latter is almost everything that I was expecting "Minky Momo"
to be...

If this is a commentary on how bad "Sailor Moon" is, then you're
WAAAAY off base here... :-) :-)

-------------------------  NEW .SIG IN PROGRESS  -----------------------------
Alan Takahashi                          !        hplabs   amdahl
Northern Telecom Inc.                   !            XXX XXX
Mountain View, CA                       ! UUCP:  ...!{-----}!ntmtv!takahash
					!               |  
"When you need to knock on wood is when !              ames
  you realize the world's composed of   ! INTERNET:
  aluminum and vinyl." -- Flugg's Law   !   ntmtv!takahash@ames.arc.nasa.gov
------------------------------------------------------------------------------