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Shelf Life - The Skull Man Cometh


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erinfinnegan
ANN Columnist


Joined: 31 Jan 2005
Posts: 598
PostPosted: Mon Mar 22, 2010 10:53 pm Reply with quote
Showsni wrote:
That sounds pretty good, unless they fell in and got wet... Pimms and kittens?

As in a Pimm's Cup?

Mikeski wrote:
The sort of folks who, in Dungeons and Dragons, would have character sheets that said "Intelligence: 17" and "Wisdom: 5".

That is the most fun kind of character to play!

vashfanatic wrote:
Gah! Mea culpa! Whose is it? Just a blog you like, or someone you know?

I'm not really sure, but I've been reading his blog for a long time.
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bglassbrook



Joined: 29 Aug 2006
Posts: 1243
Location: Gaithersburg, MD
PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 12:39 am Reply with quote
Kinda been avoiding Dante's Inferno as being a horrifying cross between game tie-in, Animatrix-me-too, and just trying too hard. Though wouldn't be too surprised if I end up getting it after watching.

Tried previewing Skull Man back when they premiered it, and while there were moments where the show seemed like it might get interesting, it was just missing someting.

So which did you neutral less, with Hidamari Sketch, the anime or manga it was based on? I'm guessing you weren't much of a fan of To Heart either, though arguably that at least had the undertones of things happening.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 1:37 am Reply with quote
Wow, I didn't know there was a New Zealander with such an awesome collection of Manga, figurines and wallscrolls. Good going Abby.
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CareyGrant



Joined: 18 Nov 2009
Posts: 453
PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 2:43 am Reply with quote
erinfinnegan wrote:
Showsni wrote:
That sounds pretty good, unless they fell in and got wet... Pimms and kittens?

As in a Pimm's Cup?


Pimm's and Kittens...? Is that anything like a Tarts & Vicars party?

On the subject of Pimm's liqueur...

Pimm's Cups go down real nice. And talk about dangerous! Super tasty, without tasting boozy; the buzz hits you like a sneak attack and then, your drunk before you can blink because you've put them away like a soft drink.

I'm rather surprised you've heard of Pimm's Cups or Pimm's liqueur, Erin, not many people in the US know about them.

erinfinnegan wrote:

She goes from empowered female character to a weeping needy heroine needing to be rescued disappointingly fast.


Oh, that's such a pet peeve of mine; Anime could use more characters from the Major Motoko Kusanagi School of Empowerment, HAWTNESS, & Bad-Assery, with a Master's from Balsa "The Spear Wielder" University.
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Lord Geo



Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 2532
Location: North Brunswick, New Jersey
PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 6:52 am Reply with quote
CCSYueh wrote:
They made this one connected to Cyborg 009 down to using VA's from the last anime of that title in this show, but I vaguely recall the original manga was something like a 1-shot or a premise for a show so it's a vague title anyway. It might be a prior version of Cyborg 009.


Close, but no cigar. Ishinomori created Skull Man in the 70s as a one-volume short, but it did get a TV production studio interested in making a show based off of it. Ishinomori felt it was too dark for TV back in the 70s, so he instead told them that he would create a something new for television... And that, my friend, is how Kamen Rider was started. In fact, the Shimamoto-drawn semi-sequel manga, which TokyoPop released, references the fact that Skull Man was, in a sense, the prototype to Kamen Rider.

Also, Erin, while the Dante's Inferno movie was only above average to me as well I do hope that you're not going to take the whole "ridiculousness automatically does not equal shelf worthy" mentality, as that would just be... well... ridiculous to do so.
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The Human Spider



Joined: 19 Jan 2007
Posts: 334
PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 9:10 am Reply with quote
Any time Cthulhu/Lovecraft is mentioned as a comparison in a review I'm interested. The RPG is fun; I used to play it in the 90s--it got me interested in the "Lovecraft Circle" writers(I was already a Lovecraft fan.) Awesome shelves this week. I wish there was a better shot of those Nendoroid-like HIGURASHI figures next to Rika, I've never seen those before.
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Brack



Joined: 15 Oct 2005
Posts: 281
Location: UK
PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 10:33 am Reply with quote
vashfanatic wrote:
erinfinnegan wrote:
Whoa, whoa, that isn't my blog.

Gah! Mea culpa! Whose is it? Just a blog you like, or someone you know?


It's my site.
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justjohnny



Joined: 22 Mar 2010
Posts: 2
PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 10:35 am Reply with quote
Vulcannis wrote:
Maybe I'm just being too sensitive but lately it seems like every other post, article or podcast that mentions them conflates moe with slice of life.

Yeah, the "moe" net is cast pretty wide sometimes. I like the term the Japanese use, "healing anime" (iyashikei anime). The intent of shows like Hidamari Sketch, or Binchou-tan, or Poor Sisters Story, is to give you a relaxed, reassured feeling and to be a relief from stress. Maybe your English teacher would call that deficient storytelling because it's lacking a conflict, but there seems to be a certain appeal.

This kind of thing doesn't have to have moe in it either. There's a manga (whose name escapes me) which consists solely of dialogue-free scenes of a man walking through Tokyo, stopping to appreciate natural scenery and quiet moments. And it got a glowing review in Jason Thompson's book Manga: The Complete Guide.
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CCSYueh



Joined: 03 Jul 2004
Posts: 2707
Location: San Diego, CA
PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 10:56 am Reply with quote
Lord Geo wrote:
Close, but no cigar. Ishinomori created Skull Man in the 70s as a one-volume short, but it did get a TV production studio interested in making a show based off of it. Ishinomori felt it was too dark for TV back in the 70s, so he instead told them that he would create a something new for television... And that, my friend, is how Kamen Rider was started. In fact, the Shimamoto-drawn semi-sequel manga, which TokyoPop released, references the fact that Skull Man was, in a sense, the prototype to Kamen Rider.


Thanks. I was reading the Skull man TP released & that or Newtype USA had something on the history of the title. I dropped it because I was reading too many titles & then TP dropped it, so I'll probably never see the end past the 5 volumes I did read. (Don't know if they finished it or dropped it before it finished. I know they dropped Cyborg 009)
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 2599
Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City
PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 2:36 pm Reply with quote
erinfinnegan wrote:

I'm green-lighting this project! But that's already more of a plot than Hidamari.


All right! Your people, my people, and let the medieval double-entendres fly!
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Umino



Joined: 16 Aug 2005
Posts: 43
PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 4:35 pm Reply with quote
Watching Hidamari Sketch was like watching paint dry Anime hyper.
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Mohawk52



Joined: 16 Oct 2003
Posts: 8202
Location: England, UK
PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 4:56 pm Reply with quote
Erin wrote:
Dante's Inferno is a little too ridiculous to be Shelf Worthy, but it isn't without merit. It was a lot of fun to watch with a group. (Unlike Grave of the Fireflies… man, I'll never live down that party.)
You played this at a party? Laughing Man, that's like playing Leonard Cohen CDs. It works a treat to clear the house when you want the party over. though you might want to call them the next day to make sure no one topped themselves during the night. Problem is no one will ever want to go to another of your parties again. Laughing
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Gewürtztraminer



Joined: 14 Nov 2007
Posts: 1028
Location: Texas - Its like whole other country.
PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 10:18 pm Reply with quote
Umino wrote:
Watching Hidamari Sketch was like watching paint dry Anime hyper.


I would put it above that, it is just about impossible to hate the characters, it sometimes pulls a really nice visual, and amusing things do actually happen from time to time.

I thought it similar to Aria, without the two essential characters that are the City and Planet. The absence of the two compelling setting variables leaves Hidamari Sketch nowhere near as good.

It is at least like looking out at your lawn and watching it grow, which is kind of what they were shooting for I think.
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dragonrider_cody



Joined: 14 Jun 2008
Posts: 2541
PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 10:55 pm Reply with quote
It's rare that I find myself completely disagreeing with the Shelf Life reviews.

First of all, I think Skull Man is definitely shelf worthy. It's one of the few dark action shows I've enjoyed recently. I also really loved how the ending was handled.

Secondly, though I normally don't like shows like Hidamari Sketch, I actually found myself really enjoying this one. There wasn't a whole lot going on, but I didn't see it as being much different than Pani Poni Dash or Lucky Star. Also, Hidamari was very visually interesting to to look and was able to hold my attention better than the other two. It also made me laugh at times, which surprised me a bit.
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Kalessin



Joined: 15 Aug 2007
Posts: 931
PostPosted: Tue Mar 23, 2010 11:18 pm Reply with quote
Hidamari Sketch is definitely laid back, and it's not laugh your pants of kind of funny, but it's definitely funny, and I found it enjoyable. Still, if you're looking for something super exciting, it's definitely not the place to look. It's a laid back comedy that pretty much embodies the idea of slice of life. You get to see some high school girls go through their fairly normal lives with bits of comedy along the way. There isn't really much excitment or crazy antics, and there aren't supposed to be.

It's enjoyable, and it's funny, but I do think that it's quite understandable why someone would get bored with it. Still, the review here seems to have been a bit harsh on it.
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