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Shelf Life - Quantum Leap


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Covnam



Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 3627
PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2011 7:39 pm Reply with quote
Heh, I also thought/hoped that The Girl Who Leapt Through Space was related to The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Too bad on that.

Project A-Ko is a great classic. I picked up the collection a few years back and was very happy with it. Anyone know if this new release has any new content or anything like that? Or is it just a re-release of the Collector's Edition CPM put out?
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Dudley



Joined: 07 Jul 2008
Posts: 29
PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2011 7:51 pm Reply with quote
AkiraKaneda wrote:
Just as a side-note...

It really is worth seeing Project A-Ko 3, if you can get your hands on it without too much trouble and cash. It's sweet and fun. The second and forth ones are just OK, and Project AKo Vs. is just awful.


I was going to say the same thing! Laughing
Part 3 is a really cute mockery of shoujo clichees. And IIRC it got that "Get Ready" song, which is the catchiest in all the series!

Is the dub the Manga Entertainment one? Or another one? I know the rest of the series was dubbed by CPM with pretty blah results. I like the Manga dub, though. I even prefer it over the original version, but maybe that's because it's the one I grew up with. Yeah, A-Ko was my first (concious) encounter with anime, too! Very Happy
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Sailor S





PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2011 8:05 pm Reply with quote
Chalk me up as one of those who thought Soaring Cake Girl was related to the one who Leapt Through Time. But, even when I found out otherwise, I still watched it, and it wasn't bad. I think it belongs where the review put it, certainly rental shelf. Well, I don't actually rent anything, so it'll be on my owning shelf, but yeah, nothing fantastic, but still has some fun elements here and there that make it worthwhile. Leopard is certainly a big draw.
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bglassbrook



Joined: 29 Aug 2006
Posts: 1243
Location: Gaithersburg, MD
PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2011 8:16 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
maybe if Sora Kake Girl were on Cartoon Network after FMA Brotherhood I wouldn't change the channel

But in order for that to happen, Bandai must deign to give it a dub, so little chance. Maybe the Brits will come through for us on that one.

The first A-Ko movie must be the one they had up back when CPM was Anime on Demand. Probably ought to get around to watching the rest of them one of these days.

It's nice to see an alphabetized collection, we don't normally go this long between them. I hope the volumes not pictured are simply stored elsewhere, rather than skipped, as some of those are getting hard to come by.
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grooven



Joined: 16 Aug 2006
Posts: 1424
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2011 8:25 pm Reply with quote
I wouldn't miss out on Stein's Gate just because of this review (which I never go with anyway). I'm going with it because of the highly acclaimed plot from people whom have completed the game.

Back to the Future? Can we NOT use random movies to compare anime to please.
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Surrender Artist



Joined: 01 May 2011
Posts: 3264
Location: Pennsylvania, USA
PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2011 8:29 pm Reply with quote
Here I had thought that I was alone or at least atypical in momentarily confounding The Girl Who Leapt Through Space with The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. Now I don't feel special anymore. Well, that's a lie, I never felt special.

I was intrigued when I first read about Steins;Gate, or maybe I was just drawn to the semicolon in its very odd title. I haven't watched any of it regardless since as I prefer to rely upon the small army of dupes who will watch the streaming video and post their opinions about it for me as a filtering mechanism. Reviews like the one in this column make me slightly pessimistic, but I have a sense that the writer and I might differ in sensibilities in a way that almost makes it an endorsement. For the time being, I stand as undecided. Battle Girls: Time Pardox though, now that's lookin' boss.

Everything else in the column, however, is a trivium in light of Project A-Ko, which I happen to be quite excited about. I first saw it on The Sci-Fi Channel, as it was before they hired ESL dropouts to create their name and slogan, while home sick from elementary school. It was the first time that I recognized anime as something distinct from western cartoons. I don't think that I recognized it as a comedy since I knew nearly naught about anime at the time and was no older than twelve, but it was still awesome. I haven't seen it in at at least a dozen years and I'm pretty eager to watch it again. The English version probably isn't wonderful, but I would like to hear it again for old time's sake. I'd ever like to see the subsequent original video animations again, even Project A-Ko, the Vs., for completeness sake, even though it isn't very good and the last time I owned a copy, the shame of it drove me to throw it away. In retrospect, maybe I shouldn't go that far.

Discotek is releasing Galaxy Express 999 and Adieu Galaxy Express 999 next month too; I nearly went through the roof when I learned that, because Galaxy Express 999 was among my favorites back when all that I could see was what aired on 'Saturday Anime' and whatever was on the shelves of the local Blockbuster Video. It's curious to think how far from those days we are; that store closed a month or two ago. I halfway feel like giving the twenty-year old membership card that I found lurking in my wallet a viking funeral. If chain had made it to the antepenultimate day of this year, that card would've been old enough to drink.

GeorgeC wrote:
I know DiscoTek had announced they were looking into releasing this film. Is Eastern Star a label of DiscoTek or a different company?


I wondered the same thing I was first looking at this release and the Galaxy Express ones, but I'm pretty sure that it is their label given that this report refers to Eastern Star as a label owned by Discotek and that several titles announced by Discotek have been released under it.

grooven wrote:
Back to the Future? Can we NOT use random movies to compare anime to please.


It doesn't seem random to me. It was a passing comparison of the show to a film structured around time travel to suggest why she might be dissatisfied with Steins;Gate. Random would've been The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade. Now if the show were somehow comparable to that, I would be interested for sure!


Last edited by Surrender Artist on Tue May 24, 2011 5:08 am; edited 2 times in total
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erinfinnegan
ANN Columnist


Joined: 31 Jan 2005
Posts: 598
PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2011 9:18 pm Reply with quote
belvadeer wrote:
The Girl Who Leapt Through Space... it sounds as stupid as Fractale (I've only watched the first episode of the latter and I'm not sure what to make of it). Pass.

Wait, what? Fractale is a really smart show! I want to finish watching it at some point. Sora Kake Girl (I'm liking this Sky Cake Girl joke) isn't that bad. It gets I.Q. points for using the word "quantum" a lot, anyway.

belvadeer wrote:
Steins;Gate: At first it sounds like it was going to be a sci-fi title, but your summary of it leads me to believe otherwise. An otaku TV series with time travel as its main premise. Yeah, can't say that's very interesting.

My husband likes Steins;Gate a lot and thinks I was being way too hard on it. He didn't think it was an otaku show for several episodes, despite the cat girl maid waitress character. Plus he's a big science fiction fan, so the SF of the show appealed to him a lot.

bglassbrook wrote:
But in order for that to happen, Bandai must deign to give it a dub, so little chance. Maybe the Brits will come through for us on that one.

I'd cast Noel Fielding as Leopard.

Past wrote:
Project A-Ko is one of my favorite anime movies, second only to Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. It's silliness and great animation give it endless re-watchability (I've probably watched it well over 10 times by now).

Yay! I reviewed Nausicaa on Blu-ray a couple columns back. It may be my favorite after Totoro.
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Agent355



Joined: 12 Dec 2008
Posts: 5113
Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready...
PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2011 9:47 pm Reply with quote
Steins;Gate sounds like it has such comic potential! A microwave-phone time machine that's only used for bananas and the otaku who love it?! Come on! Does it at least acknowledge it's own hysterical premise? It sounds like it *could* be a sci-fi Genshiken.

I've only seen bits of Project A-ko, but I always assumed it was some sort of robot girl show. Now I think that Wonder Woman and Superman have absolutely no clue how to name a kid! Razz

The story behind it's production would make a great anime comedy plot: a bunch of guys working on a low-budget porno OVA are suddenly told to transform their project into a blockbuster (non-pornographic) movie! I'd watch that! Very Happy


I'm obsessed with comedies these days it seems...the show "Look, A Zombie and his Crazy Harem!" just didn't get a good replacement in the current season, and Oh! Edo Rocket shot way out of my price range (I really want to watch the dub). Back to Gintama and Beezlebun! Wink
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chefneer
Aria Company



Joined: 27 Aug 2009
Posts: 1686
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2011 10:24 pm Reply with quote
Project A-KO was my introduction to anime, and my CPM Collector's Edition is a treasured part of my collection. I don't mind the dub so much, it's not perfect but I think it matches the silliness of the show fairly well. I agree that the vs series isn't nearly as good as the movies, with the first one being the best - the creators had fun making the show, they had a decent budget, and it shows. I've watched it a half dozen times by now - it's still entertaining, and the soundtrack has some catchy songs on it.
I wonder if the rest of the series will be re-released as well.
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batou37



Joined: 26 Aug 2009
Posts: 455
PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2011 10:32 pm Reply with quote
belvadeer wrote:


Steins;Gate: At first it sounds like it was going to be a sci-fi title, but your summary of it leads me to believe otherwise. An otaku TV series with time travel as its main premise. Yeah, can't say that's very interesting. Your suggestion to have Urasawa work on it might make it as psychological and frightening as Chaos;Head though. Pass.


Actually as I read through this review I was forced to wonder if I was watching a different Steins;Gate.... it is very much so a sci fi title, probably one of the more hard sci fi (like something you would read in a sci fi novel) anime series that I have ever seen. Other than Daru's occasional jokes and Mayuri's job, I don't see much otaku in it whatsoever.....unless we are applying the more general use of the term where Okabe could be a conspiracy otaku, although that's still a bit of a stretch to me. We've got time travelers (or what you think are at least), many worlds theory (or some form of it with the story's "world-lines" diverging with differing probability outcomes, world spanning conspiracies that are insinuated to occur in the future, and all around quantum physics in general. I feel like I'm reading another few chapters in a Verner Vinge, Larry Niven, Frederik Pohl, or Poul Anderson novel during each episode. (Yes I'll admit I am a huge sci fi novel nerd and also that Steins;Gate is by far my favorite series of the season.)
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erinfinnegan
ANN Columnist


Joined: 31 Jan 2005
Posts: 598
PostPosted: Mon May 23, 2011 11:21 pm Reply with quote
Surrender Artist wrote:
grooven wrote:
Back to the Future? Can we NOT use random movies to compare anime to please.


It doesn't seem random to me. It was a passing comparison of the show to a film structured around time travel to suggest why she might be dissatisfied with Steins;Gate. Random would've been The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade. Now if the show were somehow comparable to that, I would be interested for sure!

THAT made me laugh. I've heard of that play... now I kinda want to read it.

Anyway, Back to the Future gets a mention in Steins;Gate. I feel like you can't not mention it when reviewing time travel sci-fi stories, like, those films are the gold standard of pop entertainment time travel. I've always felt that mentioning movies or TV in a TV review column is appropriate, although I know it bothers some of the readers. I have actually cut down a lot on this habit since I took over Shelf Life, although mostly I cut references to keep the reviews short nowadays.

Agent355 wrote:
Steins;Gate sounds like it has such comic potential! A microwave-phone time machine that's only used for bananas and the otaku who love it?! Come on! Does it at least acknowledge it's own hysterical premise? It sounds like it *could* be a sci-fi Genshiken.

The main difference between Steins;Gate and Genshiken, and I think unfortunately I blew it this week and didn't get this across at all, is that the characters make the show in Genshiken. All of Genshiken's characters feel real, as if they're based on real life nerd "types" but they also have legitimate personalities within the series. None of the girls in Steins;Gate seem realistic at all. The friendship just isn't there with the male characters either, even if they're a little more realistic. Steins;Gate ends up feeling set in reality but starring videogame characters.

Out of complete left field I'd like to mention that I utterly love the group of college friends in Eden of the East. Although we don't get to know a lot about each of those characters, they felt like they were based on someone's real life college friends.
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P€|\||§_|\/|ast@



Joined: 14 Feb 2006
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PostPosted: Tue May 24, 2011 12:03 am Reply with quote
Being an otaku myself it never really occurred to me to think of the cast of Steins;Gate as otaku. Maybe it's because we don't really know that much about them in the way we were introduced to characters in Genshiken. But I agree, especially with the presence of Nyan Nyan the obvious target audience is otaku, so each of the characters should be ones that we can identify with in that way even if it isn't that profound.

Anyone else here, at least the first episode of Steins;Gate compare it with the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya? Okarin is kind of a male Haruhi; he's eccentric, interested in time travelers and makes the other people in his group suffer with his random behavior. And the first episode had that amateur art film project vibe to it.
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utawoutau



Joined: 27 Feb 2004
Posts: 190
PostPosted: Tue May 24, 2011 12:18 am Reply with quote
I am also going to gush about Project A-ko. It was the very first anime I ever saw. I showed it to my older brother, who excitedly talked about it with his friend, who in response gave my brother his Kimagure Orange Road fansubs.... ah memories.

Sorry, got sidetracked. I love Project A-ko!
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Agent355



Joined: 12 Dec 2008
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Location: Crackberry in hand, thumbs at the ready...
PostPosted: Tue May 24, 2011 12:52 am Reply with quote
erinfinnegan wrote:

Out of complete left field I'd like to mention that I utterly love the group of college friends in Eden of the East. Although we don't get to know a lot about each of those characters, they felt like they were based on someone's real life college friends.


Eden of the East is a great example of a show that mixed sci-fi, otaku stereotypes, and humor quite well. It's a fun trip.

Steins;Gate looks like it takes itself too seriously and you'd have to be a physics major to appreciate it, but I can't be sure 'till I try a few eps.

Quote:
The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade.


Now I'm curious. What on Earth is that?
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Weazul-chan



Joined: 10 May 2005
Posts: 625
Location: Michigan
PostPosted: Tue May 24, 2011 12:56 am Reply with quote
just wondering, for someone who managed to snag one of the old DVD release sets of Project A-Ko (the second one) would it be worth double dipping for the new release? I wanna know if it should go on my "I really should get it" list and if so what priority it should get (especially since I've got a limited budget right now).
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