Cowboy Bebop News

The last Japanese animated work I watched was Ganymede Elegy, a Cowboy Bebop episode.
 
Before that there was pretty much nothing, not even much animation, for a long time.
 
Unless you count the brilliant Avatar: The Last Airbender, which some people don't. 
 
Why they don't, I cannot precisely say. I know that Anime often means strictly Japanese animation to people, but to me it's just as easily meant a style that can easily be emulated, and learning about the production of Avatar it was STEEPED in anime techniques and general respect to Eastern ideas, yet is apparently still not pure enough for some people.
 
I imagine this argument has already gone over many times here, and although I want to express myself about it I don't mean to be opening old wounds for anyone, yet I find it irritating that an artform that was popularized by Japan must somehow stay there. Never mind Korea, which has its own thriving animation industry, or China, which is trying desperately to catch up. The people who created animation there aren't Japanese, though I imagine the old success story of Japanese animation never escaped their minds, and no doubt inspired them. Never mind France or the United States, who have wonderful animation traditions with plenty of cross-pollination, yet happen not to be Japan.
 
What about stuff in Japan that doesn't follow the Anime style, though?: animation that takes directly from other traditions rather than modeling off of what we expect to be Japanese animation. I guess that's the other side of the categorization problem for some. No easy answers, I guess.
 
For me, if this particular site was to encompass animation and drawn cartoons, that would be enough, but sadly Screened and Comic Vine have sort of pared off the ends of that. This place was meant to capitalize on the fandom out there. It would have been a nice place for Avatar fandom to dwell, I imagine, and since the old debate I guess it's taken up some sort of residence here, last I checked.  
 
The kind of things that are largely popular to anime devotees seem too repetitive for me to even summon the will to care, so I stick to the things I know, that expand horizons rather than clone themselves, but as I imagine my joining Comic Vine would also feel, this would leave me off in the corner, grumbling about all the stuff that doesn't fall easily into established fan categories.
 
Could this place be opened up to attract more native Japanese speakers, perhaps? That would be interesting. Turn it into a source bolstered by sources closer to the source, to overuse a word.
 
I came back for several reasons. I miss this place, its color scheme, its stark differences with the rest of Whiskey Media. Giant Bomb was my first, and it's where I live now as far as Whiskey Media is concerned. This is like a comfortable cabin, though, for me. Somehow there's a promise lying deep in here, somewhere. Don't know if it'll ever be realized, but I can't say I'll ever give up hope.
 
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to smooth out the wrinkles of the wallpaper. Feel free to browse my tiny library. Borrow anything you like. Take your time.

 This is a list of classic anime, that I believe make anime popular
5.

 
I have to say Dragon Ball is one of the most influential anime on its genre (shonen). Its mindless fighting and its flashing colors, make anybody get hype up for the next episode.  A must see for new anime fans, that like mindless action
 
4.

 
Trigun is about a man named Vash the Stampede and the two insurance employees who follow him around in order to minimize the damages inevitably caused by his appearance
An classic gunslinger anime. It have great voice acting, great story and great characters. A must see for new anime fans 
 
3. 

 
Gundam Wing plot is centers around a war between Earth and its colonies in SPACE!!
One of the best Mecha show around. If you like giant robot fighting, you'll like this and any other Gundam show
 
2.

 
Cowboy Bebop follows the misadventures and tragedies of a group of bounty hunters, traveling on their spaceship, the Bebop.
Cowboy Bebop is Cowboy Bebop what else I need to say. 
 
1.

 
Akira is set in a futuristic and post-war city, Neo-Tokyo, in 2019.
I don't really like Akira, but is still a must see if you are an anime fan  
 
This is what I think that make anime popular. What is your Milestone list? 

Could computers save anime/manga movies from Hollywood?

The topic of live-action Hollywood created movies based on anmie has been a topic that I've been pretty much universally against. I really can't tell what is wrong with them at times. What is it that motivates them to take a product that people so enjoy, and think the movie version should share little else in common with the original than it's name? It's understandable that some things need to be changed to accommodate an average of 90 minute run time. More often, it feels like Hollywood just wants to make their own movie and adds the title so it can leech off the popularity of the anime, comic, or games. How else to do explain that train wreck of Dragonball Evolution?
 
One of the largest challenges is that the characters never seem to look right. The anime based live action movies produced out of Hollywood have been consistently horrible and just encourage the worst stereotypes of anime and manga. Still, they are making more. When we get news about some anime or manga being made into a Hollywood live-action movie. What follows is the normal discussion of who will play whatever role. All we ever hear is discussion about who LOOKS like the character. There are many actors that may look the role, but could never play it. A valid enough statement to worry about appearances. What's the point of making a movie based on a character if they don't resemble their original origin to some degree? On a few rare occasions comics have gotten lucky with actors like Robert Downey Jr. in the role of Tony Stark. Hugh Jackman as Wolverine.
 
Well, after I watched the latest trailers for games out of the Video Game Awards over on Giant Bomb (see HERE). I'm still left wondering once more. Why do we need live action anymore? Just take a look at this. I don't know about you all, but I'd watch a Batman movie that looked like this.

 
Why not utilize current technology in making CG animated movies for anime and mangas? We would no longer need to fret about what someone looks like. The age, race, or body type wouldn't mean anything. It would just be about sounding right and being able to act the part. In the case of Batman, the most beloved voice actor for the role has been Kevin Conroy. Anyone who watched the dub work of Cowboy Bebop knows quite well that the voice actor of Steve Blum did superb work as Spike Spiegel, but could never play him as a live action version. No disrespect in the slightest. Steve Blum doesn't look anything like Spike. The face. The build. None of it. Yet, that doesn't matter. He did excellent work as the voice. 
 
These technologies have already been used recently in games. On the Nintendo Wii, the One Piece series was animated to great detail for One Piece: Unlimited Cruise. If the graphical ability of the Wii could do this, what if you were using technologies designed for high definition graphics.

The films could look realistic or even mimic the art style of the creators. The best part. The arguments about an actors look would be behind us.
 
-Kristoffer Remmell ( FoxxFireArt) is a freelance graphic artist, writer, and over all mystery geek.-

So I went to GameStop to pick up Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.  After I get the game, my friend texts me to go to Blockbuster.  I said "Why?"  He says "They are selling everything for $5."  So apparently my Blockbuster is going out of business and they have to sell everything quick.  Old stuff to new stuff, $5 each.  I had $25 to spend so these are the games I got.
 

• Tenchu Z      (Yeah, I know it's not the greatest game in the world, but it's only $5)
• Afro Samurai
• Ninja Blade
• Too Human
• Prince of Persia (2008)

 
If I had more money I would have got a few more, but sadly, I don't.  I was hoping to find Deadly Premonition there, but didn't see it.  If I went right when they opened, I could have got Red Dead for $5.      :(
 
My brother got a shit ton of movies and some games like Crackdown 2.
 
So if you have a Blockbuster in your area, check and see if anything is going on. 
 
Also.......................AWESOME REACH!!!!!!!! 
 
  
    
   
 
That is all my friends. 
 
P.S. 
 

This was made by a user over at YouTube a couple of years ago. It's a fan made promo of what Cowboy Bebop would be like if the show was on Toonami. 
 
When I saw this years ago, I was immediately impressed by how well the creator capture the tone of Toonami onto Cowboy Bebop. I must of watch this promo over dozens of times, I thought it would be best to show it to people whom haven't seen this yet.
 
 
 

Suggestion For a New Age of Anime Movies

Could computers save anime/manga movies from Hollywood?

 
It's no great surprise to some that I am certainly not a supporter of the live action movies that have been made based on animes. More often they are no better then a movie based on a book. For whatever reason, producers and directors of Hollywood more often decide to alter the story to the point where it's no longer the same thing, such as the Jurassic Park: Lost World novel. One of the worst offenders to date was that horrendous Dragon Ball Evolution movie. They took the impossibly happy, easy going character Goku and changed him into a whiny emo kid in high school. Don't even get me started on the Cowboy Bebop movie that is in production. I do not think it could of been possible to of selected a worst actor to play Spike then Keanue Reeves. 

  You make these into live action movies because the property is popular, correct? So if it's popular as it is, why do they always feel the need to change everything about it? It's akin to hearing about a marvelous recipe that people love. You get the recipe and bring it to your local establishment. Though, you don't like parts of the recipe and you change it, then sitting around and wondering why no one likes it when it's so popular elsewhere. Change the ingredients, and it's no longer the same recipe. The same applies to stories.
 
In the age we now live in. I don't see why Live Action is always mandatory for films. One of the largest challenges is that the characters never seem to look right. The anime based live action movies produced out of Hollywood have been consistently horrible and just encourage the worst stereotypes of anime and manga. Still, they are making more. When we get news about some anime or manga being made into a Hollywood live action movie. What follows is the normal discussion of who will play whatever role.
Here's something though that always gets under my skin. All I ever hear is discussion about who LOOKS like the character. There are many actors that may look the role, but could never play it. It is a valid statement to worry some about appearances. What's the point of making a movie based on a character if they don't resemble their original origin to some degree? On a few rare occasions we have gotten lucky with actors like Robert Downey Jr. in the role of Tony Stark. Hugh Jackman as Wolverine. For balance, there were fans who were utterly against Daniel Graig, a blond, taking on the role of James Bond. What we got there is a man who plays the role very well.
 
I say it's about time we give the most modern in computer technology a bite at the apple. If computer graphics and technology were to be engaged into making computer animated movies for anime and mangas. We would no longer need to fret about what someone looks like. The age, race, or body type wouldn't mean anything. It would just be about sounding right and being able to act the part. Anyone who watched the dub work of Cowboy Bebop knows quite well that the voice actor of Steve Blum did superb work as Spike Spiegel, but could never play him as a live action version. No disrespect in the slightest. Steve Blum doesn't look anything like Spike. The face. The build. None of it. Yet, that doesn't matter. He did excellent work as the voice.
 
There have been a few series of computer games based on One Piece. The Unlimited Adventure/Cruise series have done a rather surprising job of mimicking the style and even the expressions from Eiichiro Oda's One Piece in 3-D models. This was using the graphical power of the Nintendo Wii. There was also a XBox game, Naruto: Rise of the Ninja, that created a beautiful and detailed Konoha Village. Even the cell shading brought the manga to life in a game.
 
Some of you may think that a wider audience wouldn't be interested in seeing a series like One Piece or Naruto that looks so cartoonish. You bring up a good point. Still, computers have been making near realistic series in video games for some time. I point you toward the series Batman: Arkham Asylum, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, God of War III, and Resident Evil 5. All of these games made incredibly near realistic versions of humans and environments. Uncharted 2 felt like you were playing a blockbuster action movie and it looked like it as well. The level of detail in the Arkahm Asylum game was just staggering. I don't know about you all, but I sure as hell would go see a Batman movie that looked like that.

I even suggest that if the movies were made in computers. The movies could get away with some details that might never pass in live action. The topic of such transitions was brought up in the Comic Vine Podcast(01/22/2010) when discussing the coming Thor movie. It is very good reasoning, and one that I strongly agree with, that part of the success of Iron Man and the more recent Batman films are because most of the action is played out in rather realistic settings. When it comes to animation, computer or otherwise. I think you get a little more wiggle room. They could be a bit more fantastical.
 
Some may still think that the larger audience wont be interested in movies that are so animated. Even by computers. Well, try and remember that about 90% of James Cameron's Avatar was computer generated. That was even one of the selling points for the film. Often times the special effect scenes are always shown for movie trailers are completely computer generated anyways.
 
My personal choice would be to just bring some of the animated anime movies to the big screen for the US, i.e. One Piece Strong World. At the very least I hope I can get a conversation going on the prospects of having computer generated movies bringing our favorite animes to the big screen in a 3-D depth. The films could look realistic or even mimic the art style of the creators. The best part. The arguments about an actors look would be behind us. 
 
-Kristoffer Remmell ( FoxxFireArt) is a freelance graphic artist, writer, and over all mystery geek.-

Its been a while since I wrote here. Im working on the website and all the rest.  
  
Will this be the last Virtuous Queen? Maybe if i don't get the website up soon.  
 
The reason why I stated this is if there is going to more VQ its going to be on my webpage and not here. There is too many voices - some of which are not interested in the history of the business, crowding out things. Recent news about other such issues are cramping my style and what I wanted to do here. 
 
I have to move on. Im not dropping the account or anything. I just cant be writing for folks that may never understand what anime (or doga if you want to get technical) and manga means. 
 
But, in this last episode of VQueen - I talk about the only hope the mainstream Japanese industry has left.  
 
Its Masked Rider - and its Rivals. 
 
And its the  and the Gekgia of the 1970's.  
 
Its about learning about the past - but moving forward to a new future. 
 
The "Real" Japan is the one of ghosts, and monsters 
 
Transgendered Demons, and Tecehnotronic Nightmares... 
 
Of Hell Boys and Cybernetic Men. 
 
Aliens with dark membranes right out of the best American horror had to offer in the 1970 -1980's slashers. 
 
Females with fists and boobs to match... (but it was implied, never really shown for the latter) 
 
And at the end the future was dark - unhappy - and one wonders where did it go wrong. 
 
Thats the Japanese industry I knew - the twisted fucked up minds that told the truth of the twisted fucked up heads of government and socialistic industry. That the world continued to not learn. Man is a monster and he will create the demons that will send him to his doom. 
 
He will fuck up the world because he has been told he's been fucked over. There comes the Byronic heroes of Masked Rider of the Showa era. Of Fist of the North Star - The craziness - the guts, the explosions. the sex and the restlessness. Hardcore without being stupid or insulting the audience. 
 
But now - its weeded out of us. Its got to look pretty for those too ugly. Pretty Kids with problems. Scared to go deep into the real problems that face Japan, nor the world (as the Japanese Intellectuals have stated time and again they want to bring beauty back into the world). Censorship for all the wrong reasons - and even that word has lost its bite and all reason to exist in a world that has the truth of mankind's existence - how he first saw God, and how he worshiped - to how he moved all over and conducted life - been Censored on the fear that its too...far fetched - sexualized etc. 
 
But there is the thing with Masked Rider, despite being a kid series - does better than many others until very recently.  
 
A man becoming more than himself. Not a Alien from another world - or a man who lost his parents - or a teenager who got bit by a spider. A man becoming more than himself because he was wounded just trying to do the right thing. He enters the world of perfidy - of monstrous bugs, in order to save a humanity that can never save itself by its own. He becomes aspects of the monster bug to become better than the demons. 
 
Its that aspect - that archetype that had made some of the best anime/manga - video game and J-TV series in recent memory. From Xenogears/Chrono Cross. To the Metal Gear Series. Neon Genesis Evanglion, Akira - Cowboy Bebop, etc to Garo. The fact that man somewhere deep from the psychological and perhaps Alien proclivities - has perfection in him. That he maybe able to get up and fight all the demonic by integrating that demonic aspect of himself. 
 
Its is that truth, that is censored - that Modern Japan has forgotten and America refuses with very small exceptions to acknowledge. It was never about how many titties were shown on a Super Bowl Performance.  It was never was about the Right's challenges to Obama - its not even about going to jail about the wrong comic book. 
 
Its about Governments and Societies inability to look into the dark side of itself. Not the Jerry Springer bullshit. Thats stupidity. Its all about becoming one people in a forever spring like world. Which cannot exist - but everyone left and right has tried to put mankind in and failed every single time. 
  
Thats why Anime is censored sometimes for no good reason, and thats why Rin and her adventures will never come to the states - and that is why we will never solve any of these problems we face as a nation. We continue to Censor when there is no need, and refuse to wait when we need to wait.  
 
Im thinking that - I need to get into this business. I can change the business overnight if I wish. Thats right folks. Overnight. The new Tyler Perry. Seriously? Yep. And what you gonna do about it? Cry when Funi is destroyed in five years? HAHAHA. Really? 
 
But thats a wish that will have to wait for a while. But not too long. 
 
But there is a reason why I want to be Masked Rider every Halloween. And why I look at the toys, the merch and the series. Its the same reason I miss the anime business the way it was in the late 90's early 2000's and the reason I only read Berserk and anything done by Tezuka. 
 
Because its all about being human, in a zombified world. 

Sorry, movies and manga are exempt. This list is for shows only. 
I have a number of critically acclaimed series in the on deck circle, so this list may change rapidly. Among those are Gurren Laggan, Darker than Black, Blade of the Immortal, Baccano, and Hetalia.

10. Yu Yu Hakusho