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Space Dandy Season 2 (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : September 20, 2015
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Category: Reviews

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Space-Dandy-Season-2Title: Space Dandy Season 2

Director: Shinichiro Watanabe, Shingo Natsume

Studio: Bones

Producer: Square Enix

U. S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

U. S. Release Date: September 22, 2015

Format: DVD / Blu-ray / 13 Episodes / 325 Minutes

Genre: Sci Fi, Comedy, Absurdity

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: B

Synopsis:

Space Dandy is a dandy guy in space! This dreamy adventurer with a to-die-for pompadour travels across the galaxy in search of aliens no one has ever laid eyes on. Each new species he discovers earns him a hefty reward, but this dandy has to be quick on his feet because it’s first come first served! Accompanied by his sidekicks, a rundown robot named QT and Meow the cat-looking space alien, Dandy bravely explores unknown worlds inhabited by a variety aliens. Join the best dressed alien hunter in all of space and time as he embarks on an adventure that ends at the edge of the universe!

Commentary:

Space Dandy Season 2 upholds the insanity that started off on the first half of the series and takes you to another level of both stupidity and confusion. To say the least I found myself enjoying this group of episodes much better than the first group. Even with the story taking on so many strange turns and nonsensical events that I finally was able to connect with several of the strange group of characters and almost wanted to see two of them finally find the love they were searching for.

In this second group of 13 episodes I did discover a side of Dandy that didn’t turn me off and also made it easier to watch. The absurdity that follows in almost every episode kept me scratching my head and made me want to kept watching. I also enjoyed all of homage and parody to Anime and the silly Sci Fi world we all live in. It remixed me of some of the humor from Stein’s Gate but never really gave any focus to how the story wove together. Space Dandy is one of the shows that you can get everything you need from one or two episodes and even after watching all 26 episodes you may still never figure out what it was all about.

Overall Grade: B

I have to say that the last 13 episodes felt much more put together and polished, and at the same time had very little focus. I had many laughs and enough confusion with what was going on to leave me wondering and interested enough to stick with the show. It is truly a strange series with plenty to make you smile.

The true strength of the series is the animation. I saw plenty of work that reminded me of Red Line and also a short anime clip in the live action film A Taste of Tea. The fast movement and colorful blend of color does several things for the series, It keeps the action fresh and also makes everything very lively. There are several episodes that employ a flatter more muted color pallet but the artistic aesthetic keeps the anime fresh and very easy to watch. Over the history of anime there have been many series that employ several different art styles and some of them like Samurai Champloo have managed to he very successful. I’m not sure that Space Dandy will command the iconic status of a classic anime, but only time will tell.

 

Space Dandy Season One (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : February 22, 2015
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Category: Reviews

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Space Dandy season oneTitle: Space Dandy season 1

Director: Shinichiro Watanabe, Shingo Natsume

Studio: Bones

Producer: Square Enix

U. S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

U. S. Release Date: March 3rd, 2015

Format: DVD / Blu-ray / 13 Episodes / 325 Minutes

Genre: Sci Fi, Comedy, Absurdity

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: B-

“Space Dandy is a Dandy Guy in Space!”

Synopsis:

Rocket into the outer limits with the one and only Dandy! This dreamy space case and his to-die-for pompadour jet across the galaxy in search of aliens no one has ever laid eyes on. Capturing rare species may pay the bills, baby, but Dandy would rather kick back and enjoy the scenery at the nearest Boobies. Joined by his misfit sidekicks – a rundown vacuum cleaner robot called QT and Meow the alien space cat – Dandy boldly goes where no daper don has ever gone before. Hotly pursued by the chimp-faced Dr. Gel, the adventures of Dandy and the gang will make you laugh, then cry, and then laugh till you cry all over again. Buckle up for blast off, baby! You’re cruising with the Dandy now, and he don’t stop till the end of the universe.

The only real question you have to ask yourself is why are you crying?

Commentary:

Hailed as the next Cowboy Bebop, Space Dandy blasted onto the market with a larger than life marketing campaign by Funimation and a mega hyped ideal that can only lead to one possible outcome. That outcome is undoubtedly disappointment and a sense that the sales man got the better of you. Now I can say that it is a home run in the 14 to 25 male age group because of the fixation on the female form and the insane way it confuses the viewer in a large number of the episodes. Of course, the real test is how does if fair amongst the rest of the anime fandom. Strangely enough there is a simplistic following that is not surprising yet rather discouraging.

Space Dandy is not totally devoid of entertainment factors and in many ways it tries to take on the absurd mantle similar to series like Fooly Cooly. It certainly throughs some curve balls at you and leaves you scatting your head as to what is really going on. There is also plenty of comedic relief throughout the series. I did find myself laughing and shaking my head at some of the antics.

Overall Grade: B-

Without being to harsh on this nonsensical series I was disappointed in how the first season has played out. It is very possible that this is a trap the lead us into something new and different in the second half, but until I have see episodes 13-26 I just won’t be able to comment.

The animation is the highlight and the bold artistry provided by the people at Bones is evident and much appreciated. They continue to prove that they take a series and help create something special unto itself. This ability to adapt and give us an art style or styles that compliment the series rather than look like everything else they have done. For Space Dandy Bones has given us a bright and colorful experience that keeps the action moving and also provides eye candy for the brain when the story failed to meet the challenge. I have a funny feeling that the video game would be much more entertaining.

If you love fast funny and somewhat stupid series that are bright and tend to provide a little adrenaline  as to sit back and take it in then Space Dandy is for you. If you are looking for the next Cowboy Bebop then you really need to look elsewhere.

Cowboy Bebop (anime review)

Posted by :Patches On : December 11, 2014
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Category: Reviews

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Cowboy BebopTitle: Cowboy Bebop

Director: Shinichiro Watanabe

Written by: Keiko Nobumoto

Music By: Yoko Kanno

Studio: Sunrise

U. S. Distributor: Funimation Entertainment

Re-release Date: Dec. 9th, 2014

Format: DVD or Blu-ray / 26 episodes

Genre: Space Western, Sci Fi, Noir

Age Rating: TV 14

Overall Personal Rating: A

Synopsis: 

The Bebop crew is just trying to make a buck. This motley lot of intergalactic loners teams up to track down fugitives and turn them in for cold hard cash. Spike is a hero whose cool facade hides a dark and deadly past. The pilot Jet is a bruiser of a brute who can’t wait to collect the next bounty. Faye Valentine is a femme fatale prone to breaking hearts and separating fools from their money. Along for the ride are the brilliant-but-weird hacker Ed and a super-genius Welsh Corgi named Ein. On their own, any one of them would be likely to get lost in the sprawl of space, but together, they’re the most entertaining gang of bounty hunters in the year 2071.

Commentary:

Well, the wait is over. Funimation stepped up and took over the U. S. licensee for this iconic series. Of course it was just a matter of time and it really was never gone, because it is an annual mainstay for Toonami. I can honestly say that I am glad to see it get a renewed interest and opportunity to be discovered by a new group of soon to be fans.

The story itself feels like a very episodic series but in the end it all ties up together and makes even more sense. Trigun is much the same way and is also born the same year. 1998 was a very special year and most studios were very busy. To think that the same studio that gave us Gundam we also got one of the most complicated spec westerns ever made is some what puzzling, but wonderful no matter how you look at it.

Cowboy Bebop provides some of the richest and complex characters that turn into a very special show that no matter how old it gets it will continue to stand out for what it is. The animation isn’t all that special, for 1998 it was very good, but it is not about the animation it is all about the writing.

Overall Grade: A

Ok, it is clear that I believe that Cowboy Bebop is one of the top anime ever made, but there are still some things about it I may never get over. I think that the attention to the main characters was so important that some of the secondary characters were left drifting in the wind. Im not saying that they needed to change much, I just believe that they could have woven a few side stories into the main plot that could have given us a better understanding of the rest of this wild world they lived in. I also felt like they took some things for ganged and expected the fan base to give them a pass on some of the total denial of physics and how life in space was viewed even in 1998. Some things just say take us serious and other things said “hey, we really don’t care if it is believable”.

Cowboy Bebop is a lot of things, but the one thing that makes it really stands out as a great anime is that it set the bar very high for well written and acted anime to come. There is a reason we don’t see a lot of space westerns anymore, and the high standard that Cowboy Bebop and some of the other anime made in the late 1990’s set for the future.

If for some reason you haven’t seen this series, I can only say that you need to spend some time and give it a try. I believe you will walk away from it with a better understanding of how a great series should be made and also how music can play a big role in the overall feel of a story. Also, if you like Cowboy Bebop you really need to see Kids on the Slope, you will be pleased in what you discover.

Thanks Funimation for keeping this iconic series alive and well!