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Pile of Shame - Wanna-Be's


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Fronzel



Joined: 11 Sep 2003
Posts: 1906
PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 11:25 am Reply with quote
Maybe it's worth mentioning that the leads of Dirty Pair were apparently based on female wrestlers, and I can name another OVA, Maris the Chojo, which also has a female wrestling thing going (in a sci-fi, bounty-hunting setting!). I guess it was A Thing in the '80s.
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Great Rumbler



Joined: 03 Oct 2006
Posts: 327
Location: Oklahoma
PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 11:52 am Reply with quote
I loved this, LOVED it! The wrestling action was so deliciously over-the-top, especially with the Foxy Ladies' blatant cheating and how they just beat up everybody for no reason. Then there's that Amazon frog poison subplot with the crazy Baoh-esque monster. It's just doesn't make any sense at all and I love it for that.
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Mohawk52



Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 12:14 pm Reply with quote
I'm glad you pointed out the Bubblegum Crisis link. That picture of the wrestler pointing the finger is a muscular image of Nene without a doubt.
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DerekTheRed



Joined: 19 Dec 2007
Posts: 3544
Location: ::Points to hand::
PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 12:52 pm Reply with quote
Huzzah! A Pile of Shame/Buried Treasure article on something that I've already seen! Unfortunately, this is what I wrote about it in my anime list:
I wrote:
Blech, not very good. Nonsensical violence and character motivations.


If I were more eloquent, I would have said:
Justin Sevakis wrote:
Wanna-Be's is a bizarre patchwork of different plot lines, directorial styles and tones that never really gel into a cohesive whole. Some parts are competently executed and fun to watch, while others seem to fail basic film school requirements for coherence and shot selection.


That sums up my feelings pretty perfectly.
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walw6pK4Alo



Joined: 12 Mar 2008
Posts: 9322
PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 12:55 pm Reply with quote
Yeah, I've been referencing this OVA a lot lately in terms of relating to the new wrasslin TV series. It's such a bizarre little one-shot, but if you're a fan of Kenichi Sonada or muscle women, it's worth checking out. As always though, it really needs a new transfer, if that's even remotely possible. My hope is that Kickstarter or AnimeSols can be used to finance licenses for miniscule OVAs like this, I think the latter would definitely see more successes that way.

Also maybe a bit of housekeeping since it confused me for a second, but why is the Pile of Shame listed under the "Past Columns" for Buried Treasure? I get it's a spiritual successor, but this is definitely a current ongoing thing Justin does.
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belvadeer





PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 1:32 pm Reply with quote
Great Rumbler wrote:
Then there's that Amazon frog poison subplot with the crazy Baoh-esque monster.


I'd watch it for the monster. :3
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Greboruri



Joined: 09 Jul 2003
Posts: 373
Location: QBN, NSW, Australia
PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 2:40 pm Reply with quote
Fronzel wrote:
Maybe it's worth mentioning that the leads of Dirty Pair were apparently based on female wrestlers, and I can name another OVA, Maris the Chojo, which also has a female wrestling thing going (in a sci-fi, bounty-hunting setting!). I guess it was A Thing in the '80s.

While not a wrestling anime, "Iczer-3" for some bizarre reason featured female wrestler Cutey Suzuki as the title character. It was her only role as a voice actor as far as I'm aware.
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Great Rumbler



Joined: 03 Oct 2006
Posts: 327
Location: Oklahoma
PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 7:39 pm Reply with quote
There was also some female wrestling in episode 7 of the Dirty Pair OVA.
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Raneth



Joined: 06 Oct 2008
Posts: 271
PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 7:41 pm Reply with quote
It's too bad that the execution was apparently so terrible, because "wrestlers unknowingly outfitted with bionic superpowers who then get revenge on the person who gave them their powers" sounds like an awesome plot to me.
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GVman



Joined: 14 Jul 2010
Posts: 729
PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 10:45 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
As a sport, however, it's utterly silly -- at one point a referee counts to thirteen instead of ten, wrestlers start matches early, and there is seemingly no penalty for sneaking knives into the ring. The charm of the "sport" is utterly lost on me...


But that is the charm! I also find criminal, sinful, and carpetbaggerous that you did not mention Demon Kogure's (or, as he is now known, Demon Kakka) appearance in this anime. That scene where he drags the coffins into the ring for the Wanna-Be's makes this anime!!!

All silliness aside, I agree with you wholeheartedly on the quality of the show. Yet, I still wanted to see more. Maybe then the directors could create a cohesive vision.

Also, I'm pretty sure Char's seiyu is the main villain in this.

And while I'm still typing, Daryl Surat might've been a good guest writer to have done this article. The man's a pro-wrastlin' fan; he might've been able to shed some light on a few bits and pieces of Japanese ladies' wresting culture.

Great Rumbler wrote:
I loved this, LOVED it! The wrestling action was so deliciously over-the-top, especially with the Foxy Ladies' blatant cheating and how they just beat up everybody for no reason. Then there's that Amazon frog poison subplot with the crazy Baoh-esque monster. It's just doesn't make any sense at all and I love it for that.


Logic is for the weak is one of the many lessons Wanna-Be's teaches us.
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CountZeroOR
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Joined: 01 Nov 2005
Posts: 73
Location: Oregon
PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 10:52 pm Reply with quote
For what it's worth, Japanese pro wrestling promotions (and US indy promotions that emulate the Japanese style, like Ring of Honor & Chikara) give wrestlers a 20-count to get back in the ring.

Also, Japanese pro wrestling is just as scripted as US wrestling, but it's also "stiffer" than US wrestling - more hits that make physical contact (and auditory contact). From what I can tell, the most influential figure in Japanese pro wrestling who wasn't from Japan (or Korea) was Stan Hansen, who was notorious for working incredibly stiff due to his poor eyesight - he couldn't tell when to start pulling his punches, so he never bothered to pull his punches in the first place.
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Kidnicky



Joined: 15 Jan 2010
Posts: 79
PostPosted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 11:34 pm Reply with quote
I also came in to say that yeah, they have a 20 count rather than a 10 count in Japan. What kind of weeaboo are you?! Smile
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Meleemasta



Joined: 29 Jul 2008
Posts: 21
PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 12:44 am Reply with quote
I never misunderstood what the meaning of Pile of Shame was, but now I'm starting to see why people may have misunderstood because quite a few of these have been meh titles. Is there anything out there that you get an audible gasp at when you say you haven't seen it? Probably not I guess, but whether it's a good anime or not that would be interesting.
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WWAanimefan



Joined: 19 Jul 2006
Posts: 60
Location: Everett WA USA
PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 1:03 am Reply with quote
Another in a long line of videos I saw on a shelf, read the synopsis on the back, passed on; and now reading this, I am glad I did.
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KabaKabaFruit



Joined: 20 Sep 2007
Posts: 1869
Location: Winnipeg, Manitoba
PostPosted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 8:06 am Reply with quote
Hey, isn't that the Ginyu Force's Berter in the bottom screenshot? Smile
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