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The Mike Toole Show - Test Pilots


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Lord Geo



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 2544
Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey
PostPosted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 12:02 pm Reply with quote
Anime pilots are usually cool to see, if only because of how different they can be when compared to what would come later. Last year I did a panel at Anime Boston & AnimeNEXT called "Anime Pilots & Precursors", which not only covered some pilots but also what I called "precursors", i.e. productions that came before more well-known or fleshed out works (like an OVA or movie that came before a TV series, or simply a title that has since received a more recent reboot). I will say, though, that Shueisha has such a strong grip on the pilots market, since they tend to showcase at least one new anime pilot for a Shonen Jump manga every year at Jump Festa, the most recent being Assassination Classroom's pilot from last year. I've thought about bringing back my pilots panel next year, too.

Some of my personal favorite pilots that I've seen in full so far are One Piece: Taose! Kaizoku Ganzack (featuring a completely different voice cast & animation by Producton I.G.), Dororo, Toriko, & Ring ni Kakero 1 (even though the music is outright ripped from Saint Seiya for this one).
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Top Gun



Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 4570
PostPosted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 12:28 pm Reply with quote
I'm honestly surprised that I've managed to see one of these other than the fairly-ubiquitous One Piece pilot. Vampaiyan Kids was included on a bonus DVD with the import Blu-ray of Kick-Heart that Anime Jungle sold over here. The menus for the DVD (but not the Blu-ray, strangely) are all in Japanese, and the pilot itself wasn't subbed, so I had absolutely no idea what I was watching until I looked it up later. It was definitely a trip, though: there's one particular scene involving the little boy's, um, equipment that left a very painful impression.
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Zhou-BR



Joined: 28 Feb 2008
Posts: 1422
PostPosted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 12:55 pm Reply with quote
Ufotable's Toriko special is so much more visually interesting than Toei's defanged TV adaptation. I also preferred Daisuke Kishio than Romi Paku as Komatsu, but I have to admit Ryotaro Okiayu is a much better Toriko than Takashi Kondo.

And Shigeyasu Yamauchi's Ring ni Kakero pilot short is interesting because it shows what the show could have been like if author Masami Kurumada hadn't been so displeased by his work on the Saint Seiya: Tenkai-hen Josô movie. Still, I think Toshiaki Komura did a pretty good job directing the first season.
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Southkaio



Joined: 11 Jul 2012
Posts: 343
PostPosted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 2:31 pm Reply with quote
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Blanchimont



Joined: 25 Feb 2012
Posts: 3444
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 4:02 pm Reply with quote
Southkaio wrote:

If you read the article a little more carefully, you would have noticed it was referenced;
Quote:
...I've mentioned the Lupin the 3rd test animation, which was created to sell a TV or movie project (TOHO and TMS, the producers, couldn't agree on which angle to take, which is part of what sunk the project). ..

Article isn't mentioned, but it's probably referring to this.
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EricJ2



Joined: 01 Feb 2014
Posts: 4016
PostPosted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 4:20 pm Reply with quote
Does the "sane" OAV version of Child's Toy (before it became Kodocha) count as a pilot, or just a one-off adaptation of a manga?

Also, the Azumanga Daioh "Very Short Film" has the look of a test pilot, with a slightly different looking Chiyo, and a "best-of" sampler of the most famous manga gags.
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ChibiGoku



Joined: 29 May 2004
Posts: 676
PostPosted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 5:50 pm Reply with quote
Figure this would be worth bringing up, given I was (well, still kinda am) a Sonic fan:

There were two different pilots for Sonic X. One, simply titled "Sonic", was produced at an unknown date (speculated to be around 2001 or so), with another produced in 2002, with the finalized title. The first pilot is a curiosity, because TMS recorded the pilot in English and solely took place on an unknown Fictional planet. It also featured many anthropomorphic creatures compared to the actual series, which really only featured the main cast and the additional human characters.

It's not known what the purpose of this particular pilot was, but it's assumed that the pilot was created to pitch to International partners.

The second pilot is more closer to what we know about, with the set up having Sonic being sent to another world, and being saved by Chris Thorndyke. It also featured Japanese narration, unlike the first pilot. TV Tokyo would already be assigned as a Production Committee member by this point.

Sonic X is, in general, a curiosity. With the show performing "Okay" in Japan, but very well overseas... Plus, TMS initially giving the DVD release Special Editions, only to cancel the release with only 3 more volumes to go (regular edition finished). Not only that, the production of additional episodes, which were finished between August 2004 to March 2005, were produced due to international success, but in the end, episodes not to air in Japan. TV Tokyo, reportedly pulled out of Production of these episodes early on (they're not listed on the storyboards or scripts, like they were for the first 52 episodes). What's curious is I recall a comment by I believe Junichi Kanemaru, the voice of Sonic, mentioned these were supposed to air Summer 2005. Never happened.

It would take until about 2009 when the series would finally finish it's run in Japan, with the last 26 episodes being streamed through various venues, such as TV Tokyo's Website, and amongst other partners.

By the way, in regards to Spaceship Sagittarius, it technically did get dubbed in North America, but it was a French dub for Canada, specifically the French speaking regions. Obviously wasn't in English, but it's worth noting the series did make it over here to some capacity.

The pilot though, is interesting to look at, as it featured somewhat different designs compared to the final look of the show. Though, it was produced years prior to the main series, so it makes some sense. Also, the lack of dialogue makes it more accessible.
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belvadeer





PostPosted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 6:59 pm Reply with quote
The only thing I can comment about here is that I have the VHS for Ultraman: The Adventure Begins. And I definitely love it. A shame Ultraman never really caught on in the U.S. It's not that bad a series.
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Drac



Joined: 08 Apr 2005
Posts: 165
PostPosted: Sun Aug 24, 2014 10:45 pm Reply with quote
Sunrise's Doozy Bots pilot is one of the greatest things ever produced.
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doomydoomdoom



Joined: 08 Mar 2013
Posts: 278
Location: Michigan, USA
PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 1:37 am Reply with quote
Interesting about Sonic X, I had no idea there were pilots for that.

Also, Space Adventure Cobra almost aired dubbed on the Playboy Channel in the 80s?!!!?! When was this discovered? (Not that I doubt Mike Toole) So that explains why scantily clad strippers and such were left in that episode which, by the way, I believe was terrible.
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L stole my cookie!



Joined: 18 Nov 2010
Posts: 76
PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 3:18 am Reply with quote
Drac wrote:
Sunrise's Doozy Bots pilot is one of the greatest things ever produced.

Truly a masterpiece.
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PoisonHeart



Joined: 08 Dec 2007
Posts: 4
PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 4:51 am Reply with quote
Winsor McCay's first name and last name are both misspelled in the article.
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pachy_boy



Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 1323
PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 6:39 am Reply with quote
Quote:
Some years before his untimely death, Umanosuke Iida completed a pilot film for Gonzo, a short that would eventually become Origin ~Spirits of the Past~. Where is it?!

I think it's right there on the special edition Blu-Ray (or DVD, take your pick), within the original trailers section for the movie, or they're at least clips of it, unless the pilot was designed like a trailer. The earlier trailers definitely feature footage that were never in the movie and even looked a little different design-wise, while implicating plot elements also not found in the movie but would've definitely been intriguing (albeit I love the movie as-is).
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belvadeer





PostPosted: Mon Aug 25, 2014 6:13 pm Reply with quote
Drac wrote:
Sunrise's Doozy Bots pilot is one of the greatest things ever produced.


It's obnoxiously cute if anything. XD
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Faiga_Raisa



Joined: 24 Feb 2008
Posts: 283
PostPosted: Tue Aug 26, 2014 4:12 am Reply with quote
L stole my cookie! wrote:
Drac wrote:
Sunrise's Doozy Bots pilot is one of the greatest things ever produced.

Truly a masterpiece.


OMFG
An Anime Hell panel a decade ago featured this shit. The host was like "hey, you know what this kid in the wheelchair transforms into? A [expletive] tank. You'd think they give him a walking robot or the flying one. You know, something to let him feel the things his disability is stolen. lol no stuff him in a tank with the same horrible immobility he has."
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