review

The Gokusen is about Kumiko Yamaguchi, a new teacher at Shiroken Academy, a high school for troubled boys. Her class is full of delinquents and ne'er do wells, underachievers that can be violent, even bordering on psychotic. Boy are they in for a lesson, though, because teacher isn't some wilting flower, she's the ojou of a yakuza family, and she takes her job seriously, even if she isn't always! The question is, can she keep her students and the school staff from discovering her criminal background? Why does a yakuza princess even WANT to teach?

I'm joined by the eminent expert in these matters, Bancho Truth, as I examine this 13-part TV show that might make you hot for teacher. 

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The reason for the article title is predicated on how unhinged Macky acts throughout the episode. If it is not using his mastery of Bael to force the non-aligned parts of Gjallarhorn under his thrall, it’s being able to unflinchingly prevent a despairing Almiria ready to turn a knife on herself after botching her childish (I don’t mean this as an insult, she’s still young after all) attempt to kill Macky. The scary part is I do not even know where the play acting stops and the craziness begins, since Macky is so dedicated to his craft. Does he WANT them to think he’s crazy? Or is it his true honest form?

In this episode, I take a look at the four part OVA, Dominion Tank Police, that features what seems like the inevitable future of American police militaritization (Japan will just go the Patlabor route)! But is this send up of 80s hyperviolence a social satire or just a parody that identifies with its captors? I hope to sparse the mixed messages from this old "classic" I first saw on Sci-Fi Channel's Saturday Anime block. 

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SPOILERS

For the first time, I couldn’t really find ONE good image from this episode. So like I did with Escaflowne, here is this episode’s Four Perfect Shots. Seriously, it’s really goddamn pretty. In fact, those aren’t the most perfect of shots. Also no, don’t get mad that one of em is Galli-Galli, you pretty much knew the moment he spoke under that mask Vidar was Galli-Galli. The true pleasure though, is what happened to him during the interim between seasons.

It's another year, and it's time for the first brand new episode of Otaku Evolution of 2017! In this video, I look at the 1984 sci-fi-action-comedy-curiosity, Birth! It was once released by Streamline Pictures as Planet Busters, but the version I'm reviewing is from the more accurate ADV release from the early aughts. It's a really strange feature that boasts of talents like Hideaki Anno and Joe Hisaishi, but besides some interesting visuals, it's a whole lot of nothing!

Sounds scintillating, right? Of course.

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SPOILERS

You know an episode has it in for its protagonists if a catharsis one has been hoping for such a very long time does not come to fruition. Yes, Iok is not dead yet. In fact he is as alive and chipper as his usual annoying self is, and thus we all must wait once more for his demise. The only consolation we can seize from this is Rustal is rather blasé about this whole thing, and did not adulate the slightest bit towards Iok’s decision.

It’s the last episode of the year as I look at the English dubs of the anime I’ve covered since the mid season episode. I examine dubs by Funimation, Manga Entertainment, Animaze, Central Park Media, ADV, and others! Which will I praise? Which will I burn? And what’s the deal with that refrigerator, how did that close seemingly on its own (shut up is how)? It’s time to wrap things up for a while, and stay tuned for more in the new year.

Oh, also, there’s a bit at the end.

English dubs covered in this episode: