Postby TheSubtleDoctor » Tue Sep 06, 2011 8:36 am
Crusher Joe OAVs
Two unrelated, hour-long sci-fi, action stories featuring the crusher team we know and love from the movie. Episode 1 The Ice Prison is only slightly above average, for me. The second episode, Ultimate Weapon Ash, is quite exciting and innovative. Right from the opening, UWA is doing stuff that makes you go, "Whoa, that was pretty cool." The action level is comparable to that of the film, so there's a ton of eye-candy for 'splosion fans. Also, The Cloakers, one of the several "obstacles" in the crushers' path, are particularly awesome. Action and (non-hard) sci-fi fans should definitely take a look.
Ookiki Furikabutte a.k.a. Big Windup Season 1
Oofuri is a double-edged sword for me: it's a really brilliant, sports-heavy, character-driven show packed to the brim with drama and psychological sparring; ergo, it sort of ruined other sports shows for me in the short-term. I wanted more Oofuri, and neither Shoot! nor Wild Striker would give me that. I realize there is a season two, but I have already promised to watch that with someone...who hasn't yet seen season one...
This show has two things going for it: great characters with interesting relationships and tons of mental chess (i.e. "He did X before, so we should expect him to do Y...or should we? Does he know we'd be expecting that?"). These two things work in tandem with one another as well; you get to know the boys through their thought processes, and you find yourself rooting for certain mental chess moves because you know and love the boys. The main character will not be everyone's cup of tea; he's certainly not mine. Funny thing is, I still cheer him on and get angry when non-team members underestimate him, etc. Oofuri is very baseball centric, but, as in real life, when people you care about do something, it makes it interesting.
FLCL/Fooly Cooly/Furi Kuri
I know there are some folks here who don't like this show that much. To them I say: don't try to understand the show; simply enjoy it. I'm sure the general weirdness of some of the scenes, the lack of explanations or the fan-service put some people off. FLCL is certainly non-traditional in its story-telling, but, for me, any loose threads or nagging questions get swept away by the show's crowning moments of awesome.
Gainax can nail a coming-of-age story, and they do so with aplomb here. Though we are vastly different ages, I quite liked the main character. Gainax can also do epic really, really well. There are definitely a few moments that made me involuntarily stand up and cover my mouth in an "Oh snap!" sort of way.
Anyone who knows me a little knows that I love insanity in anime, be it twisted characters or crazy plots. If nothing else, FLCL is a grand spectacle of insanity. I will defo own this and watch it many times.