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My Two Cent on the Rainbow Brite Reboot
May. 30th, 2015 09:36 pmSo I found a way to watch the new Rainbow Brite series, and all I can say is that it does need a lot of work. It did follow it's source material a lot closer than the one made in 2009, but it really didn't have a lot of time to tell a proper story arc. There were a lot of questions left unanswered, like what made Stormy and Rainbow Brite fall out (all we know is that Stormy doesn't feel appreciated), where did the Dark Princess come from, how did the Pits become like that, etc. Not only that, they introduced a lot of items like the star, the ring and the key that they deserve a more detailed explanation. The story itself also suffers because of the lack of time it has to tell a story. The introduction would be better if we actually were introduced to Brian when he was on earth and we see him open the portal with the key, instead of Brian explaining this to Rainbow. Also, the fact that Brain's shy personality was implied in his conversion with Rainbow Brite is less effective than seeing an event that illustrates it. The Rainbow Brite Reboot is a series where being a 3 episode 13 minute long series works against it.
This format doesn't help develop the characters. Rainbow Brite and Stromy's relationship was rushed and would be better if they had the time to develop a satisfying conclusion. Characters like the Colour Kids (well, them being given little screen time isn't new to this series) and Murky don't serve much of a purpose in the narrative. I feel like the most developed characters in this series are Rainbow Brite, Brian and Stormy. We aren't given the time to know them well, but the series at least took a little bit of time for us to learn about their personalities.
This series does have a different feel from the 1980's series. I think this has to do with the animation, the sound effects, the humor and the characterization. As both a flash cartoon and unlike the 1980's series, its animation was not outsourced to Japan; the look of the series is very different. I think animation did feel a bit cheap as well, so I have a feeling that this show ran on a limited budget. The character designs are hit and miss for me. I don't mind some of the Colour Kids or the Sprites and I got use to Rainbow Brite's design, but I can't get used to Murky and Lurky's designs, no matter how hard I try. The humor feels like it's trying to be like the humor of modern shows. I didn't really laugh at any of their jokes, but at least the jokes aren't as pandering as it could have been.
The characterization is something that I felt mixed about. New Rainbow Brite isn't as bad as she is in the trailer. She was a bit hyper in the beginning, but it seems understandable, because Brian is the first human she befriends. She is also shown to be resourceful and mature. It's also nice to see Stormy have some attention for once, because she didn't really get to do much in the 1980's cartoon. I notice that this Reboot tends to reduce the roles or tone down some past Rainbow Brite characters. Murky's role in particular was greatly downsized. Even his attempt to take over Rainbow Land didn't amount to much. Which is a shame, because he was a pretty important character during the 1980's series and the German tapes (and he was funny to boot). Starlight's arrogance was toned down a lot. I do miss his prideful personality and he feels a little bit bland without it. However, do like the idea that he's a guardian figure to Rainbow.
Of course there were other characters that were flanderized as well. Mostly Twink and Lurky (Sprites need better representation). Twink was shown to be clumsy in the original. But in the new series, they played up that side of Twink more in the reboot. It's to the point that the Colour Kids where scared when Rainbow Brite put in Twink in charge. And where do I even start with Lurky? I feel this time around they poke fun at Lurky's intellect a lot. Don't get me wrong, they did make jokes about Lurky's dopiness in the old series, like when Lurky was shown to not know how to use binoculars (although he knows how to use the telescope) and Lurky doesn't know what the word invisible means. The reboot felt like it was more mean spirited about it. In this version there's a joke where Lurky can't spell kittens right and they did a "I'll name him George" joke. The cherry on the shit cake is the fact that Lurky makes a lot sounds to himself, and it's really uncomfortable to watch. I think his voice also plays an important role in portraying Lurky's character in both versions. Lurky's original voice actor (Pat Fraley) wanted to convey Lurky's naive/childlike side. The reboot's voice direction conveys a more "lol he's stupid" kind of character. Going into this series, I knew that Lurky was going to keep his bumbling nature, but I wasn't aware that they made him more problematic(it's kind of sad when you think about it).
So overall, I feel like the Rainbow Brite Reboot is a pretty mediocre miniseries. The story arc that it presents had potential, but it doesn't reach it because series gives itself so little time to develop its story and characters. The sound effects and animation is pretty cheap. The character designs and portrayals were a mixed bag, but none of it really stood out to me. As far as Rainbow Brite media goes, I prefer the 1980's series and the German Tapes. This Reboot was an improvement from the 2009 reboot but there's still a lot of room for improvement in the future.
This format doesn't help develop the characters. Rainbow Brite and Stromy's relationship was rushed and would be better if they had the time to develop a satisfying conclusion. Characters like the Colour Kids (well, them being given little screen time isn't new to this series) and Murky don't serve much of a purpose in the narrative. I feel like the most developed characters in this series are Rainbow Brite, Brian and Stormy. We aren't given the time to know them well, but the series at least took a little bit of time for us to learn about their personalities.
This series does have a different feel from the 1980's series. I think this has to do with the animation, the sound effects, the humor and the characterization. As both a flash cartoon and unlike the 1980's series, its animation was not outsourced to Japan; the look of the series is very different. I think animation did feel a bit cheap as well, so I have a feeling that this show ran on a limited budget. The character designs are hit and miss for me. I don't mind some of the Colour Kids or the Sprites and I got use to Rainbow Brite's design, but I can't get used to Murky and Lurky's designs, no matter how hard I try. The humor feels like it's trying to be like the humor of modern shows. I didn't really laugh at any of their jokes, but at least the jokes aren't as pandering as it could have been.
The characterization is something that I felt mixed about. New Rainbow Brite isn't as bad as she is in the trailer. She was a bit hyper in the beginning, but it seems understandable, because Brian is the first human she befriends. She is also shown to be resourceful and mature. It's also nice to see Stormy have some attention for once, because she didn't really get to do much in the 1980's cartoon. I notice that this Reboot tends to reduce the roles or tone down some past Rainbow Brite characters. Murky's role in particular was greatly downsized. Even his attempt to take over Rainbow Land didn't amount to much. Which is a shame, because he was a pretty important character during the 1980's series and the German tapes (and he was funny to boot). Starlight's arrogance was toned down a lot. I do miss his prideful personality and he feels a little bit bland without it. However, do like the idea that he's a guardian figure to Rainbow.
Of course there were other characters that were flanderized as well. Mostly Twink and Lurky (Sprites need better representation). Twink was shown to be clumsy in the original. But in the new series, they played up that side of Twink more in the reboot. It's to the point that the Colour Kids where scared when Rainbow Brite put in Twink in charge. And where do I even start with Lurky? I feel this time around they poke fun at Lurky's intellect a lot. Don't get me wrong, they did make jokes about Lurky's dopiness in the old series, like when Lurky was shown to not know how to use binoculars (although he knows how to use the telescope) and Lurky doesn't know what the word invisible means. The reboot felt like it was more mean spirited about it. In this version there's a joke where Lurky can't spell kittens right and they did a "I'll name him George" joke. The cherry on the shit cake is the fact that Lurky makes a lot sounds to himself, and it's really uncomfortable to watch. I think his voice also plays an important role in portraying Lurky's character in both versions. Lurky's original voice actor (Pat Fraley) wanted to convey Lurky's naive/childlike side. The reboot's voice direction conveys a more "lol he's stupid" kind of character. Going into this series, I knew that Lurky was going to keep his bumbling nature, but I wasn't aware that they made him more problematic(it's kind of sad when you think about it).
So overall, I feel like the Rainbow Brite Reboot is a pretty mediocre miniseries. The story arc that it presents had potential, but it doesn't reach it because series gives itself so little time to develop its story and characters. The sound effects and animation is pretty cheap. The character designs and portrayals were a mixed bag, but none of it really stood out to me. As far as Rainbow Brite media goes, I prefer the 1980's series and the German Tapes. This Reboot was an improvement from the 2009 reboot but there's still a lot of room for improvement in the future.
Why Murky and Lurky are outcast
May. 28th, 2015 08:39 pmWhile writing my Rainbow Brite stories, I've been thinking about Murky and Lurky's relationship. When thinking about their interactions with each other, I started to realize that there were aspects of their relationship that I wish the series explored. One of these ideas is that both Murky and Lurky are outcasts in their respected societies. Them being outcasts is the main reason why they've stuck together for so long. I think this idea really has potential, because it creates a set up where the two main villains conflict with a society that is seen as harmonious because they don't belong.
( Essay is behind the cut )
( Essay is behind the cut )
Teeth problems
May. 19th, 2015 05:11 pmWell, the dentist found out what's been bothering my teeth and gums. My wisdom teeth are growing in and they are infected. I was prescribed medicine to get rid of the infection. Then I have to consider when I'm going to get my wisdom teeth removed. I'm hoping it's sometime soon, as my wisdom teeth are growing in inconvenient areas. Two of the bottom ones are growing sideways and one of them is butting into my teeth on the far right. These locations are going to make the surgery complicated and I wouldn't be surprised if I'm going to be put to sleep during the surgery. If I don't get them removed, I'm probably going to have another infection sometime in the future. I'm just wondering if I should finish my medication first and then get my wisdom teeth removed or if I should get them removed as soon as possible. I don't want to wait so long that I'll be out of commission when my highway test is due and I would prefer it if this is over by the time my birthday rolls around.
At least I know what's wrong with my teeth. I wonder where I should I have my teeth cleaned, since I haven't had them cleaned for a while. For the meantime, I think I should write some of my stories before it's time for my surgery.
At least I know what's wrong with my teeth. I wonder where I should I have my teeth cleaned, since I haven't had them cleaned for a while. For the meantime, I think I should write some of my stories before it's time for my surgery.
Canadian Broadcasting strikes back
May. 18th, 2015 12:39 pmWhile channel surfing, I rediscovered that My Little Pony Friendship is Magic is being aired on Treehouse TV (a Canadian Channel which airs TV shows that are aimed towards Preschoolers). Not only that, they are going to air the episode where Twilight and her friends are sent on a mission to end the problems of a village that's controlled by a cult leader. Yes, Treehouse is going to air an episode of My Little Pony where the subject matter is criticizing cults.
I can't believe it; My Little Pony Friendship is Magic isn't the type of show that should be aired alongside Caillou, Dora the Explorer and Toopy and Binoo. I think MLPFiM should be aired in a channel that's targeted towards school age children such as YTV (although they seemed to be more focused on live action shows as of late) or Teletoon. It probably airs on Treehouse because the people that run these channels still believe that girls "outgrow" cartoons faster than boys, therefore they are not marketable. I don't think YTV and Teletoon air any cartoons targeted for girls. The only "girl targeted" shows that Teletoon Retro airs are She-Ra and Jem. Granted, Teletoon Retro's twitter talks a lot about Jem and the the station has a lot of gender-neutral shows. But the fact still stands that they have more shows that mainly target boys than girls.
However, MLPFiM is so out of place on that station. So out of place, that Treehouse has to mute the character whenever they name call someone names. This is like the one time where Treehouse aired The Little Dummer Boy, in which they did not edit the part when Aaron father gets stabbed. It's like Treehouse doesn't check for the content that it airs and assumes it's for preschoolers because the characters look cute.
I can't believe it; My Little Pony Friendship is Magic isn't the type of show that should be aired alongside Caillou, Dora the Explorer and Toopy and Binoo. I think MLPFiM should be aired in a channel that's targeted towards school age children such as YTV (although they seemed to be more focused on live action shows as of late) or Teletoon. It probably airs on Treehouse because the people that run these channels still believe that girls "outgrow" cartoons faster than boys, therefore they are not marketable. I don't think YTV and Teletoon air any cartoons targeted for girls. The only "girl targeted" shows that Teletoon Retro airs are She-Ra and Jem. Granted, Teletoon Retro's twitter talks a lot about Jem and the the station has a lot of gender-neutral shows. But the fact still stands that they have more shows that mainly target boys than girls.
However, MLPFiM is so out of place on that station. So out of place, that Treehouse has to mute the character whenever they name call someone names. This is like the one time where Treehouse aired The Little Dummer Boy, in which they did not edit the part when Aaron father gets stabbed. It's like Treehouse doesn't check for the content that it airs and assumes it's for preschoolers because the characters look cute.
I can't believe it
May. 10th, 2015 09:49 pmIn one of the German tapes, Murky stole a fire truck and delivered sweets to children so they would get bad teeth (I don't think they were the Colour Kids). While he was doing this he was referring to himself as "their friend, Murky Dismal". Then the Fire Captain learned that Murky stole the fire truck and scolded him by telling him that he did a dangerous thing. Murky tried to stop himself from getting in trouble by saying that he didn't knew that he was stealing. Murky also told him that him that he did a good deed by giving candy to the children. The Fire Captain let Murky go, mostly because the children usually couldn't afford having those candies. Then he tells Murky that if he does something bad like this again, he will be punished.
Lurky was against stealing the fire truck, but of course Murky doesn't listen to him.
This is just the jist of what happened (because I don't have access to a good translation). I can't believe the Germany Tapes or German Murky are real sometimes(in a good way). It's a shame that this series wasn't translated to English. Some of the strange situations that Murky gets himself into are really funny.
Lurky was against stealing the fire truck, but of course Murky doesn't listen to him.
This is just the jist of what happened (because I don't have access to a good translation). I can't believe the Germany Tapes or German Murky are real sometimes(in a good way). It's a shame that this series wasn't translated to English. Some of the strange situations that Murky gets himself into are really funny.
Fanfic ideas
Mar. 29th, 2015 06:52 pmI should be writing my essay... however, I feel the urge to write some fanfic. Writing them will take too much time away from my essay, so I just going to write short summaries of the ideas I have so far. I don't have titles for any of them yet. Warning: my second fan fic has spoilers for the final episode.
( Story ideas behind the cut )
( Story ideas behind the cut )
Look at it, just look at it: http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00V8JT3UK/
38 years after Jetter Mars was broadcasted in Japan, someone wrote a self published "Narubo-like" tribute to Jetter Mars (despite the fact that the robot on the cover looks nothing like Mars). He seems pretty self-conscious about it because he spent some time in the summary explaining that his story was different from Jetter Mars. However, he doesn't make a good case for himself as it's clearly inspired by Jetter Mars. It takes place in 2015, it is a coming of age story and there's Mars and Miri expies too (the main character is called Maruko and the Miri-like character is called Mio). Both Mars and Maruko are both made for some big government/foreign relations purpose. While Mars was made for the Japanese Defense Force, Maruko is assigned to the UN peacekeeping force. Despite being a peacekeeper, he also fights terrorists.
The fact that this online book exists is fascinating though. I wonder if this book's creation was created by someone nostalgic towards the series but they are disappointed that Toei barely does anything with the series anymore. Seeing that this year is Jetter Mars' birth year, it's pretty upsetting that Toei and Tezuka Pro have done nothing for this series. So this book might have been used as an opportunity to write about what they wished would happen in Jetter Mars. Maybe the concept interested them and they wanted to take it in an different direction from the series. Regardless, I'm pretty surprised it exists (although I'm not surprised it's a self published online book). I feel kind of proud of Jetter Mars to have it's very own Narubo after all these years.
38 years after Jetter Mars was broadcasted in Japan, someone wrote a self published "Narubo-like" tribute to Jetter Mars (despite the fact that the robot on the cover looks nothing like Mars). He seems pretty self-conscious about it because he spent some time in the summary explaining that his story was different from Jetter Mars. However, he doesn't make a good case for himself as it's clearly inspired by Jetter Mars. It takes place in 2015, it is a coming of age story and there's Mars and Miri expies too (the main character is called Maruko and the Miri-like character is called Mio). Both Mars and Maruko are both made for some big government/foreign relations purpose. While Mars was made for the Japanese Defense Force, Maruko is assigned to the UN peacekeeping force. Despite being a peacekeeper, he also fights terrorists.
The fact that this online book exists is fascinating though. I wonder if this book's creation was created by someone nostalgic towards the series but they are disappointed that Toei barely does anything with the series anymore. Seeing that this year is Jetter Mars' birth year, it's pretty upsetting that Toei and Tezuka Pro have done nothing for this series. So this book might have been used as an opportunity to write about what they wished would happen in Jetter Mars. Maybe the concept interested them and they wanted to take it in an different direction from the series. Regardless, I'm pretty surprised it exists (although I'm not surprised it's a self published online book). I feel kind of proud of Jetter Mars to have it's very own Narubo after all these years.
No, but I've been invented to attend a Humanities Session because I'm doing well in my program so far. It's going to discuss the kind of graduate opportunities that my university offers. I'm willing to attend it because I'm actually pretty clueless about the graduate programs offered at the university. Maybe I'll find one that I like.
Oh yeah, they are serving pizza too.
Oh yeah, they are serving pizza too.
Draw until my hands fall out
Jan. 27th, 2015 09:34 pmI'm on a roll in terms of art. I posted 4 pictures on Deviantart within 2 weeks. I also feel like my art has been improving faster than it usually has. It's probably I'm more motivated, as I stopped looking down at my art. I also started figure drawing, which helped me improve a lot. I wish I had better art supplies and programs like Sai and a tablet pen. I think these would make finishing artwork faster and I wouldn't have to zoom in so much. I also want to try watercolours sometime. It seems like a lot of people do amazing things with the medium and I would like to see what I can do with it. I'm thinking about studying colour palattes of the backgrounds of Jetter Mars for inspiration.
I signed up for fourth year for my Honours in History. I think I could make it, because my average is safely high enough for the cutoff. If I get accepted, it would take at least another 2 years for me to get the credits I need to graduate. I'm thinking of taking classes for the summer anyways.
I've been trying to focus a lot on my art because I don't want my pictures sitting on my USB drive so long that the picture becomes so dated that I can't share it online. However, I'm a bit behind on my assignments, which the crunch time for midterm assignments is approaching. I'm thinking of doing a lot of my assignments at school tomorrow because then, I can focus on my work more. At home, I have a habit on focusing on my hobbies instead of working on my assignments. However, at school, it's a lot easier to focus.
I probably should rest for the day soon anyways since my eyes and hands are hurting.
I signed up for fourth year for my Honours in History. I think I could make it, because my average is safely high enough for the cutoff. If I get accepted, it would take at least another 2 years for me to get the credits I need to graduate. I'm thinking of taking classes for the summer anyways.
I've been trying to focus a lot on my art because I don't want my pictures sitting on my USB drive so long that the picture becomes so dated that I can't share it online. However, I'm a bit behind on my assignments, which the crunch time for midterm assignments is approaching. I'm thinking of doing a lot of my assignments at school tomorrow because then, I can focus on my work more. At home, I have a habit on focusing on my hobbies instead of working on my assignments. However, at school, it's a lot easier to focus.
I probably should rest for the day soon anyways since my eyes and hands are hurting.
Second Semester Begins
Jan. 5th, 2015 04:49 pmMy school break is over. I mostly played/finished video games that I've played through almost a decade ago (Mostly Pulseman and Kirby's Crystal Shards). However, I did defeat 0 from Kirby's Dreamland 3.
I have four classes this semester so far. I was thinking of dropping one of them to lighten the workload but all four of seemed interesting so I'm willing to give them a try. This might mean that I will be more busy than usual.
So the left button on the DS broke. So I'm wondering if I should buy a 3DS soon. The 3DS does have several games that interest me know like Super Smash Brothers, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, A Link Between Worlds and HarmoKnight. I'm also willing to get Pokemon ORAS, even if I'm not as interested in Pokemon games as I once was. However, the issue is that the 3DS cannot play Game Boy Advance cartridges. I'm aware that there's some Game Boy Advance games that are available on Virtual Console but I wouldn't want to spend too much time buying games that I already own. The only way left to play game boy advance games is through the game boy player, however it'd be kind of a pain to unplug the Wii and connect the Gamecube every time I'd want to play a Game Boy Advance game. It kind of makes me wish that the DS was a more sturdier console, like the Game Boy.
So I'm considering getting a 3DS with my Christmas money... but I wonder if I should continue buying Jetter Mars mangas for my collection instead.
I have four classes this semester so far. I was thinking of dropping one of them to lighten the workload but all four of seemed interesting so I'm willing to give them a try. This might mean that I will be more busy than usual.
So the left button on the DS broke. So I'm wondering if I should buy a 3DS soon. The 3DS does have several games that interest me know like Super Smash Brothers, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, A Link Between Worlds and HarmoKnight. I'm also willing to get Pokemon ORAS, even if I'm not as interested in Pokemon games as I once was. However, the issue is that the 3DS cannot play Game Boy Advance cartridges. I'm aware that there's some Game Boy Advance games that are available on Virtual Console but I wouldn't want to spend too much time buying games that I already own. The only way left to play game boy advance games is through the game boy player, however it'd be kind of a pain to unplug the Wii and connect the Gamecube every time I'd want to play a Game Boy Advance game. It kind of makes me wish that the DS was a more sturdier console, like the Game Boy.
So I'm considering getting a 3DS with my Christmas money... but I wonder if I should continue buying Jetter Mars mangas for my collection instead.
Game Freak's New Project!
Dec. 27th, 2014 07:46 pmTetsuya Watanabe, a Senior Programmer, announced that Game Freak is working on a new project which will be announced soon (most likely in 2015): http://www.nintendo-insider.com/2014/12/27/game-freaks-next-project-nearing-announcement/
Judging on how he's talking about this project, like it's a game that doesn't have a large pre-existing fanbase, so it seems like it's not a Pokemon title. If that's the case, I would be happy because I think the Pokemon series needs a bit of a break for awhile. Ever since Pokemon B2W2, there's like one main game that comes out per year. It's kind of getting overwhelming to catch up. I'm also having a feeling that some of the Game Freak staff members are getting a little bit exhausted making new Pokemon games. I'm getting this vibe because I heard that during Pokemon X and Y's development, Game Freak's art team ran out of ideas when designing sixth generation Pokemon. Therefore, they outsourced some designs to Hitoshi Ariga.
I'm really hoping that this new project is a Pulseman sequel or a remake though.
I might be setting myself up for disappointment for hopping for a new Pulseman game but I think that there might be a chance for Pulseman to shine. Pulseman takes place in 2015, so it would be perfect to make a game to came out in that same year. Looking at Ken Sugimori's old concept art, there's a lot of world building already there for the Pulseman series which can be expanded on. I would like to know what happened to Pulseman's parents. There are clues that hint that Pulseman's dad is actually Waruyama or at least connected to him due to the similarities of their names. There's not much known about what happened to Pulseman's mom either. It's also pretty easy to come up with a plot for the sequel. Maybe Veil can become the new leader of the Galaxy Gang. Maybe he might be willing to bring back Waruyama too or something.I would like to see Game Freak expand on Pulseman's world because I see a lot of potential in it.
Ken Sugimori mentioned in his twitter before that he wants to remake or make a sequel of Pulseman. The problem is that Pulseman hasn't sold enough.
Pulseman seems to be getting more attention as the years go by. There's certainly a lot more Pulseman fans online than they were then back when I first got interested in the game. I feel like if Game Freak worked on another Pulseman game, it could be a really polished and original game. Unlike Pokemon, they haven't worked on Pulseman for years, so there's a lot of new ideas to explore. Since Pulseman was a early Game Freak game, there might have a lot of new ideas that can strengthen the game mechanics.
It's probably going to be a new title which would be great too. I'm looking forward in seeing it. Maybe this is influenced by the fact that I've been replaying Pulseman a lot lately but I would be really happy to see a new Pulseman game.
Judging on how he's talking about this project, like it's a game that doesn't have a large pre-existing fanbase, so it seems like it's not a Pokemon title. If that's the case, I would be happy because I think the Pokemon series needs a bit of a break for awhile. Ever since Pokemon B2W2, there's like one main game that comes out per year. It's kind of getting overwhelming to catch up. I'm also having a feeling that some of the Game Freak staff members are getting a little bit exhausted making new Pokemon games. I'm getting this vibe because I heard that during Pokemon X and Y's development, Game Freak's art team ran out of ideas when designing sixth generation Pokemon. Therefore, they outsourced some designs to Hitoshi Ariga.
I'm really hoping that this new project is a Pulseman sequel or a remake though.
I might be setting myself up for disappointment for hopping for a new Pulseman game but I think that there might be a chance for Pulseman to shine. Pulseman takes place in 2015, so it would be perfect to make a game to came out in that same year. Looking at Ken Sugimori's old concept art, there's a lot of world building already there for the Pulseman series which can be expanded on. I would like to know what happened to Pulseman's parents. There are clues that hint that Pulseman's dad is actually Waruyama or at least connected to him due to the similarities of their names. There's not much known about what happened to Pulseman's mom either. It's also pretty easy to come up with a plot for the sequel. Maybe Veil can become the new leader of the Galaxy Gang. Maybe he might be willing to bring back Waruyama too or something.I would like to see Game Freak expand on Pulseman's world because I see a lot of potential in it.
Ken Sugimori mentioned in his twitter before that he wants to remake or make a sequel of Pulseman. The problem is that Pulseman hasn't sold enough.
Pulseman seems to be getting more attention as the years go by. There's certainly a lot more Pulseman fans online than they were then back when I first got interested in the game. I feel like if Game Freak worked on another Pulseman game, it could be a really polished and original game. Unlike Pokemon, they haven't worked on Pulseman for years, so there's a lot of new ideas to explore. Since Pulseman was a early Game Freak game, there might have a lot of new ideas that can strengthen the game mechanics.
It's probably going to be a new title which would be great too. I'm looking forward in seeing it. Maybe this is influenced by the fact that I've been replaying Pulseman a lot lately but I would be really happy to see a new Pulseman game.
I'm Done with my Exams
Dec. 16th, 2014 08:10 pmI'm finally wrote my Russian History exam, so I'm done with my exams for the year. I'm doing pretty good in this class as I got an -A on my Essay and in Seminar leadership, and an A in seminar participation. I wonder if I've written enough Essays (that I'm satisfied with) for a potential portfolio. Afterwards, I played some Pokemon Blue (the Japanese version). I restarted my old game a while ago, but because of school, I didn't have much time to play through it. Afterwards, I ate a tasty grilled chicken pesto panini dinner with sweet potato fries. I'm thinking of winding down by making some gifs. Today was a good day so far.
Rest in pieces, my Tsundere prince....
Dec. 12th, 2014 11:23 pmSo, apparently in a past volume of Hiraga Saisuke's Jetter Mars manga (I assume it's volume 5), Dr. Yamanoue abandons Mars because he wasn't able to defeat a robot..... The cherry on the cheesecake is that I think he might of called him useless when he abandoned him:
( All I can say is )
( All I can say is )
I've already posted this video on twitter, but I can't get over this God forsaken knife.
So the new Astro Boy manga adaption(Atom the Beginning) is going to be published in a Japanese magazine known as "Heros" soon: http://www.heros-web.com/works/atom.html and http://mainichi.jp/select/biz/pressrelease/archive/2014/11/28/9702.html
I kind of have mixed feelings about it though. The concept sounds like it has potential. But some of the character ideas and the execution is making me feel a little wary.
The summary goes like this: Japan is suffering from some sort of catastrophe. So there are attempts at improving technology and creating robots to help rebuild Japan. 5 years later, university students Ochanomizu and Dr. Tenma meet and I assume they become friends or rivals or something.
The idea of focusing on Ochanomizu and Tenma's relationship during university does remind me of a Jetter Mars fic I'm working on. I hope that my ideas won't be too close to this manga for the sake of me being original. This aside, I hope those two will have an entertaining dynamic together. Especially that their relationship is rather distant in most versions of Astro Boy. So there's lots to add concerning their relationship that hasn't been established in previous versions.
However, think it's kind of strange that a country can make major technological advancements when in a dire situation. Usually, if a country is in a catastrophic situation, they don't have the resources or time to spend on making big technological leaps. I assume the development of robots occurred after the catastrophic event since the robots are used to rebuild society.
But maybe my biggest fear for the series is the way that the series might handle its female characters. In an interview, two of the mangaka agree that there should be female character to pays a big part in Ochanomizu and Tenma's friendship/rivalry. I think it would be nice to add more female characters to the Astro Boy series because the series doesn't have many female characters that play any sort of major role.
However, one of them said that the character should be tsundere. This kind of make me worry because it does suggest that they just going to build her character on tiresome cliches rather than making this character three dimensional. It's really not hard to make a tsundere character after all. I hope that this tsundere character will not be a part of some love triangle between Tenma and Ochanomizu. Love Triangle plots tend to be that super predictable and sexist (*stares at Hiraga Saisuke's Jetter Mars manga*).
This makes it feel like the project is going incorporate typical modern manga cliches in order to make Astro Boy appealing to a modern audience. It doesn't really help that it seems like it's riding on the success of Pluto in some ways because the project is set up to be a more mature and modern interpretation of Astro Boy.
So I hope that this story has enough substance so it won't be a what I fear it to be. The mangaka's response about the tsundere character seems like he was speaking in a light hearted tone. So maybe it's a joke or something, but something tells me that he might be serious about it too. I guess I've got to wait and see if this manga is going to be translated in English sometime or if Heros' official website is going to provide a page that explains who the characters are.
I kind of have mixed feelings about it though. The concept sounds like it has potential. But some of the character ideas and the execution is making me feel a little wary.
The summary goes like this: Japan is suffering from some sort of catastrophe. So there are attempts at improving technology and creating robots to help rebuild Japan. 5 years later, university students Ochanomizu and Dr. Tenma meet and I assume they become friends or rivals or something.
The idea of focusing on Ochanomizu and Tenma's relationship during university does remind me of a Jetter Mars fic I'm working on. I hope that my ideas won't be too close to this manga for the sake of me being original. This aside, I hope those two will have an entertaining dynamic together. Especially that their relationship is rather distant in most versions of Astro Boy. So there's lots to add concerning their relationship that hasn't been established in previous versions.
However, think it's kind of strange that a country can make major technological advancements when in a dire situation. Usually, if a country is in a catastrophic situation, they don't have the resources or time to spend on making big technological leaps. I assume the development of robots occurred after the catastrophic event since the robots are used to rebuild society.
But maybe my biggest fear for the series is the way that the series might handle its female characters. In an interview, two of the mangaka agree that there should be female character to pays a big part in Ochanomizu and Tenma's friendship/rivalry. I think it would be nice to add more female characters to the Astro Boy series because the series doesn't have many female characters that play any sort of major role.
However, one of them said that the character should be tsundere. This kind of make me worry because it does suggest that they just going to build her character on tiresome cliches rather than making this character three dimensional. It's really not hard to make a tsundere character after all. I hope that this tsundere character will not be a part of some love triangle between Tenma and Ochanomizu. Love Triangle plots tend to be that super predictable and sexist (*stares at Hiraga Saisuke's Jetter Mars manga*).
This makes it feel like the project is going incorporate typical modern manga cliches in order to make Astro Boy appealing to a modern audience. It doesn't really help that it seems like it's riding on the success of Pluto in some ways because the project is set up to be a more mature and modern interpretation of Astro Boy.
So I hope that this story has enough substance so it won't be a what I fear it to be. The mangaka's response about the tsundere character seems like he was speaking in a light hearted tone. So maybe it's a joke or something, but something tells me that he might be serious about it too. I guess I've got to wait and see if this manga is going to be translated in English sometime or if Heros' official website is going to provide a page that explains who the characters are.
