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Star Blazers Available Online

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the this-is-great dept.

Amphigory writes, "Anyone who was young and geeky in the 80's remembers Star Blazers -- an anime sci-fi series. Anyway, some of the episodes are now available online in their entirety. The only problem is that most of them won't play in Xanim. " I absolutely adored this show in my younger years. Lately watching Lain, DBZ and Battle Athletes has rekindled my adoration for this stuff. Highly recommended if you're nostalgic.

3 of 220 comments (clear)

  1. American Animation by Shaheen · · Score: 5

    Most of the time when animation buffs here the words "American Animation" they either gag, or they pretend like they have never heard the term before.

    However, I am opposing that opinion. As much as I enjoy Japanese Animation (and yes, it is better than American Animation - but I'm arguing that not all American stuff is in the gutter), I have enjoyed many purely american shows that have the same essential elements as any good anime series or movie.

    The most anime-like American animation out there is, most likely, Batman: The Animated Series. The series, IMO, is the epitome of what American animation houses - even if it is Warner Brothers - can produce when money isn't everything. The original artists for Batman were given some extra money to do the series, and it turned out to be a hit. Dark though it was, the series took into account everything a good story should have - great plots, essential character flaws (for instance, Bruce Wayne's constant struggle between living a "normal" life versus the life of Batman, or the clash between his love for Selena Kyle versus the fact that Catwoman is a criminal). The new Batman / Superman adventures, and even Batman Beyond to an extent, aren't as great as the original Batman, but they are measuring up pretty well.

    And who can forget The Simpsons? The show has definitely captured what it means to be "American" down to the most minute details (with exaggeration for laughs :)

    [shameless plug] I have started an online petition to have Batman: The Animated Series published on DVD here NOTE: *PLEASE* don't Slashdot this site. As much as I would love to have a thousand people sign my petition, I'm pretty sure it's a small server that would just cringe at the oncoming traffic. [/shameless plug] Quite surprisingly (or should I say not surprisingly?), a number of people have answered the question "how much would you pay?" with the words "Whatever it takes!"

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    You should never take life too seriously - You'll never get out of it alive.
  2. Interesting... by Amphigory · · Score: 5
    I just thought it might be interesting to note that I posted this article more than 24 hours ago. And it was "accepted" within minutes. Anyone care to take a bet that Rob delayed this article 24 hours to get first shot at the servers?

    I thought about not saying anything, but "information wants to be free!"

    (For the record, I don't see anything wrong with Rob doing that -- I just find it amusing.)

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    -- Slashdot sucks.
  3. CmdrTaco's choice of Anime by Guppy · · Score: 5

    "Lain, DBZ and Battle Athletes"

    Well, that's a pretty eclectic selection. We've got:

    Lain: Complex and surreal, at times expressionistic. A classmate of the main character, Lain, commits suicide. Shortly afterwards, members of the class start receiving e-mails claiming to be from the deceased girl. That's not what Lain is about, but to explain further would require interpretation on my part. I highly recommend you watch it and make your own interpretations. Requires patience. Also recommended for viewers of Lain: Key the Metal Idol, Angel's Egg, Neon Genesis Evangelion.
    (Plug from an Otakon staffer: Both the creator and character designer for Lain will appear at Otakon 2000, the East Coast's biggest anime convention, located in Baltimore, MD.)

    DBZ: Journey to the West meets the WWF, anime style with some SF thrown in. Loosely based on the ancient Chinese tale of a monkey king who was born from a stone, and I do mean loosely. Fun, but not very cerebral. The story breaks down in later episodes as characters spend much of their time hurling chi-blasts at each other. Also recommended for DBZ fans: Er... I haven't a clue what would appeal to DBZ fans.

    Battle Athletes: Cute schoolgirls compete for the "Cosmo Beauty" prize. A little silly, takes a while for the story to kick in. Animation quality is pretty good, on par with most of Pioneer's other stuff. Also recommended for Battle Athletes fans: Sailor Moon, Gunbuster.

    Close the World. Otakunize the Next