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While not holding up entirely, Trigun is, overall, a pretty fun television series that can proudly stand apart from the manga. There are definitely episodes that are significantly better than others, but you can find that in even the best anime. What I think I like the most about Trigun is that it's a unique experience. I mean, name another anime that's even somewhat like it. I mean, aside from (vaguely) Kenshin, but Trigun is more than just "Kenshin with guns" or "space western Kenshin". I was happy to revisit it.

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Part two of my look at 2001's Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier involves looking at some of the non-Black Ghost related storylines in the series. There's the mythology arc with the cyborgs fashioned after Greek gods, the two parter with the extraterrestrials/otherdimensionals, and there's the unfinished final arc where the cyborgs get an upgrade. But there are also one-off episodes that I thought were worth highlighting here, like the one where 009 experiences time different because his Accelerator Mode is stuck (that might be my favorite episode).

It's been a while, huh? We're all still feeling the hurt from last year, aren't we, and yet here we are? As usual, I took January off to cool my jets, but I'm back for another year of the plucky little anime review show that can... well, can't, really, but tries anyway.

First up? A look at the 2001 anime TV series Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier. It's a 51 episode series about cyborgs with different abilities fighting... well, mostly other cyborgs with different abilities. It's like Kakaider, but a little less up its own ass.

2020 was a horrific year. The year saw a pandemic, social strife, and an election that seems to still linger (for some reason). We lost Kobe Bryant and Alex Trebek, and many of us lost people even closer. So it feels a bit frivolous to care so much about a silly little anime review show that few people even watch to begin with. The weight of this year is heavy. But maybe that's why we need some lighthearted frivolity now and then.

Merry Christmas! Well, this is coming out shortly before THE day, but you'd all be too busy on December 25 watching Alex Trebek's final episode of Jeopardy! to watch my dumb little show. Or opening and enjoying your presents, or whatever. Maybe just getting properly wasted? I know I will. (The present thing, not the getting wasted thing... maybe.) Point is, dumb little show, you no watchy. Have a good day that day, regardless of what you do or do not celebrate. I celebrate, and I'm not even the celebrating type.

Porco Rosso is basically about the titular pig man's three main relationships: his relationship with Fio, his relationship with Gina, and his rivalry with Curtis. So I broke up the review into those parts, with an emphasis on feminism and Fio. I think Fio is actually the catalyst for a lot of what occurs in the movie, and she changes Porco a little. Anyway, this is the structure of the video.

It's always great to cover a Hayao Miyazaki movie, because there is always something you can zero in on, like my video on Princess Mononoke being about Lady Eboshi. I wonder what I'll get to look at in future reviews of his works.

So, yeah, this is a pretty short one, isn't it? Well, some of it is my usual laziness, but mostly, it's because I want the viewer to actually watch this one with some freshness (even though I basically show the ending, lol). It's a particularly good Lupin III TV special, one of my favorites, in fact. It has all the hallmarks of a good Lupin joint: a compelling main narrative, some good heisting, and Lupin just utterly demoralizing somebody into defeat. I mean, wow, he just wrecks this lady. It's a work of art, what he does.

So, here's Missed by a Dollar!

Why is it that we like Tenchi Muyo, again? I mean, it does bring up some pretty vivid memories of the Toonami days of my anime fandom, but despite the odd interesting concept or the rare  good moment, there really isn't a whole lot to the franchise. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to rewrite history and say that Tenchi Muyo was NEVER good, just that it wasn't as good as we once thought it. After all, our standards were different then, weren't they?

Happy Halloween! This one's a pretty straightforward review video, with just a pinch of cosplay on my (sprite's) part. You're probably wondering, "Why do Cowboy Bebop: The Movie on Halloween? Why not a horror or horror-themed anime?" Well, shut up, is why! The Bebop movie is just as much a Halloween movie as Die Hard or On Her Majesty's Secret Service are Christmas movies!

Ugh, Bubblegum Crash. I love Bubblegum Crisis, for every little awkward quirk and lopsided plot beat in it. It's one of my favorite anime. But its so-called "sequel" is such a huge disappointment. It just feels so meager and watered-down. Sometimes it doesn't even feel like it takes place in the same world Crisis did, because it completely ignores a lot of what went on previously. Except that it has Largo in it, whose return is an even bigger disappointment. A giant fucking drill is his best plan? He had an orbital laser last time, and his weapon is a big drill this time? What is this shit? You can taste the bitterness just watching my video here.