Shinsei Galverse has finally premiered, and I must say, this is a good first impression. It looks good and definitely has potential. The video is featured above.
I'm guessing this is a pilot episode since it does not have a definitive end and the runtime is like that of a TV episode. If viewership meets or exceeds expectations, hopefully more episodes will be made and we get to see more of the Galverse. Speaking of, I realize now that the name "Galverse" contains the word gyaru when pronouncing it in Japanese. Gyaru, in case you don't know, refers to a particular fashion subculture among Japanese women.
I ran into this trailer while I was on YouTube a few days ago. Shinsei Galverse, a new crowdfunded independent online anime, will be premiering on June 25! It's about a group of 8,888 women, collectively known as Galverse, who are reincarnations of a being known as "Mother" who used to rule over the galaxy. When these ladies learn about their origin, they unite together to stop an evil organization known as "Space End Society." You can learn more about it on the official website.
What really sticks out to me is the art style. It is reminiscent of 1980s and 1990s anime such as Sailor Moon, so it looks and feels retro and modern simultaneously. Not only that, Kotono Mitsuishi, Japanese voice actress who played such iconic roles like Sailor Moon and Misato Katsuragi, will be voicing a character in this production (she's the blond scientist)!
I'll try this out and see for myself if this lives up to the trailer. I may post about it again after the premiere. Until then, take care!
A few months ago, Kneon from Clownfish TV posted this video about how the daily ratings for Cartoon Network (CN) have gone through the floor as of last year, signaling the probable end of CN as we knew it. This comes after the official website shut down last year and the studio in Burbank, CA closed its doors in 2023. Indeed, all of the major American children's networks have shown decreasing numbers for over a decade as audiences rely more heavily on on-demand content for their entertainment rather than linear television.
Of course, people will blame streaming and the merger of Warner Bros. and Discovery for this decline, and there is some truth there, but I believe there is more going on; it's the content being produced on this network. What we are seeing today is the culmination of over a decade of churning out content that are not good quality, not kid-friendly, and/or just plain weird, beginning with the premiere of Adventure Time in 2010 which was also the first original series on the channel to be PG-rated. Since then, CN transformed from a powerhouse for children's entertainment to what can best be described as "Adult Swim Junior," cartoons marketed to kids but upon further inspection contain mature themes not appropriate for little kids (ex: homosexuality, "non-binary" gender, non-marital child-bearing), appeal to older audiences like teens and young adults, and violate parents' trust, particularly shows carrying an age rating below TV-PG. Combine that with the gosh-awful PSAs about "anti-racism" and "personal pronouns," reruns of Teen Titans GO! all day with little diversity in the schedule, and barely any merch sales, and you have a recipe for disaster. It's no wonder they went under.
On a personal level, this news makes me sorrowful as someone who grew up with the network, with shows like The PowerPuff Girls (the original, not the stupid 2016 reboot), Ed, Edd, n' Eddy, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, the 90s dub of Sailor Moon on Toonami, Chowder, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, and the classic cartoons on Boomerang giving me cherished childhood memories and solidifying my love for animation. The last CN shows from the modern era I enjoyed were Steven Universe, Over the Garden Wall, and Infinity Train. At this rate, I would not be shocked if the network morphs into Adult Swim 24/7.
The trailer for the ill-conceived live-action dump based on the classic 1937 Disney movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarves has finally been released, and boy, is it a doozy. See for yourself at the top of this post. Then read the comments. They are more entertaining than this film.
This trailer is yet another example of everything wrong with modern Western media and reboots in general that have become cliché at this point. Here, Snow White is not only race-swapped for no good reason, making her name lose its original meaning, and played by won't-shut-her-mouth Rachel Zegler, she is also changed to be a "girlboss" who leads a revolution against the Evil Queen. Because that's what Snow White was about, right? And if I had to guess, the prince will be made into a weakling and will not kiss a presumably dead Snow White at the end, because that's sexual harassment apparently. Honestly, the only character I like in this is the Evil Queen played by Gal Gadot, and while she too is a race-swapped version of her original counterpart, she plays the role well. She and Zegler should have switched places as she appears to be a more worthy candidate for "the fairest of them all," but I digress.
Then there are the CGI dwarves. They could have been played by real people with dwarfism á la The Wizard of Oz and Time Bandits, but political correctness and Peter Dinklage got in the way and prevented a whole demographic from getting an opportunity to make it big in the film industry. Everyone thinks they're creepy, but I actually don't find them weird at all in the same way that I was not at all creeped out by the characters from The Polar Express (which is now 20 years old as of this post!). My issue with them is that they're not as unique-looking nor as memorable like the originals.
In the end, only time will tell if this movie will make it big. I personally hope it doesn't since I'm tired of unfaithful reboots and cheap cash grabs and would prefer either new and exciting stories or else adaptations that respect what came before. Maybe a movie like this failing will be a wake-up call to Disney and Hollywood to stop making these types of movies for good.
Hello again! The semester's almost over, I have a new job, and I am ready for warm weather! Today, Glitch Productions, an Australian-based indie animation studio, posted this video that serves as a preview for episode two of The Amazing Digital Circus.
What is The Amazing Digital Circus, some of you may be asking? It is a new online animated series that premiered last year with the pilot episode, which you can see below:
The premise is about a woman who puts on a headset and is thrust into The Amazing Digital Circus where anything can happen (except for swearing). She in her new avatar meets other humans who have been in the circus for longer all led by a kooky ringmaster AI named Caine. She receives the name Pomni, and she and the other members go on wacky adventures.
In the last episode, Pomni is introduced to the world and tries to find an exit to no avail. In the new episode, most of the gang visit the Candy Canyon Kingdom and meet some candy people. It looks really exciting! We just have to wait two weeks before we can finally see it in all its glory.
Film Threat, an independent apolitical film review site, recently published this rant video on YouTube. Current and former animators from the Walt Disney Company have contacted the hosts, sharing their experiences and voicing their grievances toward the company and the American entertainment industry in general. It's well worth the watch.
Unless you've been under a rock for the past decade or so, the Walt Disney Company, and indeed Hollywood at large, seems to be getting worse lately. Lack of creativity and originality, leftist activism (especially identity politics shoved down children's throats in an attempt to indoctrinate them), and poor business decisions have led to many American films not performing at the box office both domestically and internationally. Some recent examples include Wish and The Marvels which became box office bombs and further alienated audiences. Meanwhile, domestic studios like Illumination and international studios like Toho are kicking butt with films like The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Godzilla Minus One, both of which I have seen this year. Unless these failing studios course correct very soon, it seems they are living on borrowed time.
Here is a video I found from the classic Rugrats cartoon that talks about Hanukkah (or Chanukah). Today is the first day of this celebration.
What is Hanukkah, you may ask? It is a Jewish holiday lasting eight days that commemorates the Old Testament miracle of the menorah burning for eight days with one day's worth of oil. The word Hanukkah is Hebrew for "dedication," hence the alternate name Feast of the Dedication.
Even though I am a Christian and a Gentile, I still believe it is an important event to be at least familiar with. The story of Hanukkah can be found in First and Second Maccabees. Even Jesus and first century Jews celebrated the holiday, which is recorded in John 10:22.
It seems Christmas has come early for Sonic fans, because the trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has finally dropped, premiering during The Game Awards 2021. The YouTube trailer can be found below:
From what I can gather from this trailer, Sonic is fighting crime in Green Hills, Montana. His guardian/adoptive father Sheriff Tom tells him that one day "there will come a moment when [his] powers will be needed." That time comes soon enough when Dr. Robotnik, played by the one and only Jim Carrey, returns to Earth and reunites with his previous righthand man. He mentions that he has found a source of ultimate power, which, for those who know at least some Sonic lore, is a Chaos Emerald. Then Miles "Tails" Prower enters through a ring portal like he did in the end of the first film and meets Sonic. The two fly on Tails's biplane and attempt to dodge Robotnik's attacks. They then enter the bar from the previous movie wearing heavy snow gear which seems like the start of a hilarious skit. The final scene worth noting is the first appearance of Knuckles the echidna who is implied to have been convinced by Robotnik that Sonic is evil and must be destroyed, as is the case with other Sonic media such as Sonic X.
Picking up from where Sonic the Hedgehog left off, which I reviewed previously, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is setting itself up to be just as good if not better than the first movie and another entry in the realm of video game adaptations that don't suck, which began in 2019 with Detective Pikachu. It premieres in theaters April 8, 2022.
I finally received the Neon Genesis Evangelion Collector's Edition Blu-ray, courtesy of Shout! Factory and GKIDS. For this post, I decided to make a video instead of showing a bunch of pictures with text. The video can be found below. Enjoy!
To preface, I'll state upfront that I am half Filipino on my mother's side. Growing up, I didn't think I would ever see explicit Filipino characters outside of what was produced in the Philippines. That changed in 2017 when I saw Lars Barriga from Steven Universe make an ube cake in one episode. It blew my mind to see a Filipino character in a major Western production. Ever since then, I've been interested in seeing Filipinos in mainstream media.
So imagine my surprise when I found the trailer for a Filipino animated film being produced for Netflix:
Content warning: violence, implied sex scenes
Hayop Ka!, which means "you animal" in Tagalog, is a story about a cat named Nimfa who works as a saleswoman. She has a dog boyfriend who works as a janitor. One day she meets another male dog who is rich, and after falling for him she must decide if she will go for him or stay with her boyfriend. Basically, a generic love triangle story that has been told millions of times before.
The animation and backgrounds look very impressive for an international non-anime film. The characters are anthropomorphic animals along the veins of other Netflix properties like Beastars and Aggretsuko. Heck, the main character almost resembles Nicole Watterson from The Amazing World of Gumball minus the blue fur.
I would like to see this out of curiosity, but unfortunately, it isn't available in the US, only in select regions. As long as this is better than The Nutshack, the gosh-awful attempt to have a mainstream television series featuring a Filipino cast, then I'd consider this a win for Filipino animation, or at least a step in the right direction.
After a couple months of hiatus, here is another YouTube video from Clownfish TV, because I love their commentary on pop culture. Kneon and Geeky Sparkles analyze a cringe-inducing article on SyFy Wire that attacks 1980s cartoons and 80s kids to make the argument that modern animation is much better and more "progressive." The author of the article is someone who wasn't even alive during that time, likely a Millennial or Gen Z.
After listening to this, I have much more respect for 80s cartoons. I am growing increasingly tired of creators rebooting old properties to make it in their image to push an agenda (looking at you, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power!) when they should be making original content instead.
To follow up from my last post, I present this video. Kneon and Geeky Sparkles from Clownfish TV on YouTube discuss She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Turns out there were issues present in the series long before the finale. Let this be a lesson on how not to reboot existing IP.
Today I present to you a YouTube video entitled "Fuwa Fuwa Foof OP," a theme song for a fake cartoon series of the same name. Based on an idea by ExtraordinaryCircus, this is a well-animated short about a cute rabbit named Foof who decides to leave her former occupation of gang leader. Her old subordinates Giri Giri and Kiri Kiri constantly try to lure her back to her old ways, but Foof resists and tries to be a good little bunny.
This is very impressive with a great song to boot. (Though, like many modern songs, it has a thumpin' beat but a bad message contained in the lyrics.) And I'm not the only one who loves it; as of this post the video has over 4 million views. I would like to see this fully realized as a real show; it looks like it has potential.
Now that 2020 has begun, it's time for me to update this blog and make it relevant. Today I'll be reviewing the pilot for the animated series Hazbin Hotel, created by Vivienne Medrano. Released October 28, 2019, the video as of this post has garnered over 24 million views. It's a few months after the fact as I type this, but as the saying goes, better late than never.
Before I discuss the episode proper, let me take some time to go over the creator herself, Vivienne Medrano, otherwise known online as Vivziepop. I first became familiar with her work through the web comic series Zoophobia, which is currently in indefinite hiatus. She has also posted various artwork and fan art on DeviantArt and similar websites. Looking through her drawings, it is apparent that she is very talented and has a unique art style with vibrant colors. Then a few years back she began working on the pilot for Hazbin Hotel using scrapped characters from Zoophobia. The result is the subject of this review.
Charlie
As the video begins, we see a montage of demons being slaughtered as part of the yearly purge to combat overpopulation in Hell. Charlie, princess of Hell and our protagonist, sings about why she is a failure and weeps over the deaths from the extermination. We also see cameos of other characters that are sure to be relevant in future episodes.
