The Oriental Cartoon Show: GaoGaiGar & GaoGaiGar FINAL

This episode marks my second appearance on The Oriental Cartoon Show. Here, Mark and I talk about one of my favorite giant robot sagas: GaoGaiGar: King of the Braves, and its place in Japanese robot history.

Click here to shout the names of power tools!

CLIP SHOW: Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D.

During the late 80s/early 90s, it was almost impossible to think of an R-rated action movie that wasn't adapted into a children's cartoon. During an era that spawned such shows as Rambo: The Force of Freedom, Highlander: The Animated Series, and Conan the Adventurer, a short pilot was made for a kids' cartoon based on Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D., a particularly bizarre movie, even by Troma Entertainment standards. While the movie focused solely on the titular hero, a cop who became the unwilling recipient of ancient Kabuki powers, and his mentor as they fight to defeat "The Evil One", a group of sidekick characters were created for the show. Sgt. Kabukiman N.Y.P.D. would have been Troma's second attempt at children's television, following the short-lived Toxic Crusaders, but it inexplicably never went into production.

CLIP SHOW: "At The Movies" Animated Film Reviews

BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM (1993)

GHOST IN THE SHELL (1995)

GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES (1988)

R.I.P. ROGER EBERT

 An outstanding film critic, who viewed animation as a medium instead of a genre.

PLANET JACKSON (1997)

"Mr. Jackson, we officially present your new home in space."

To say that Michael Jackson has done it all would not be that big of a stretch. Aside from a multi-platinum music career, he has also starred in film, television, and even video games. Michael made his animation debut in the classic 1991 episode of The Simpsons, "Stark Raving Dad", where he played a large white man at a mental asylum who believed he was MJ. In 1997, MTV Animation released a short made-for-TV film centered around the King of Pop called Planet Jackson, which stands as one of the most heartfelt, as well as obscure, works based on his life. It was thought to have been lost because MTV discarded the sole film reel after a lack of publicity resulted in staggeringly poor Nielsen ratings. This may also be due to the fact that Jackson did not voice himself in this feature, presumably because of scheduling conflicts that arose while he was filming the movie, Ghosts.

 

In order to escape unwanted media attention, the King of Pop hires a large crew to build him his own space station, far out of the public's eye. Isolated out in space, Michael is finally able to rediscover true happiness now that nobody's trying to leech off of his success. However, his euphoria is cut short when he is visited by a fleet of enemy ships, commanded by his siblings, who have all become white in an effort to emulate their famous brother. Now, Michael must make the difficult, heartbreaking  decision of whether to fight his own family in deadly starship combat, or be forced to bend to the wills of everybody around him for the rest of his days.

Planet Jackson is a perfect metaphor for all of the hardships that Jackson was going through during the late 1990s. It does a very good job of getting across the idea that no matter how hard he tried to hide from all of the negative attention he was getting, stemming from his divorce with Lisa Marie Presley and the many child molestation allegations, he couldn't escape. It is a tragic tale that pulls you in with its bright animation style, courtesy of acclaimed sci-fi animation director Toshihiro Kawamoto (Macross Plus/Gundam 0080), and then silently tugs at your heartstrings, showing just how high the price of fame can really be. It's truly unfortunate that not many people have had the pleasure of watching a production so worthy of Michael Jackson's name.

Although Planet Jackson was once so obscure to the point where many doubted its existence, a few years ago, somebody came forward with a VHS recording of it that had been taped during the film's initial broadcast on MTV, and uploaded it to YouTube. Now here, for all of you to enjoy, is Planet Jackson:

Planet Jackson aired as part of an episode of MTV Animation's Cartoon Sushi during its anime parody-themed Ultra City 6060 segment, and was created using stock footage from the direct-to-video series, Mighty Space Miners.

CASSHERN: ROBOT HUNTER (1993)

"It was the dark ages when Braiking Boss and his robots ruled the Earth. Some found the courage to resist this tyrant. Among these freedom fighters, one stood out above the rest."

Tatsunoko Productions is a famous animation studio that is probably most recognized for its many superhero characters created during the 1970s. Among them is the Neo-Human, Casshern (romanized as "Casshan" in the original Streamline Pictures release of this series), who was the human son of a scientist that developed androids to try to benefit humans' needs, only to have them turn on their masters. In the wake of this worldwide catastrophe, the boy, named Tetsuya, volunteered to be turned into a cyborg so he could defend humanity. Together with his girlfriend, Luna, and his transformable robot dog, Friender, Casshern wanders post-apocalyptic landscapes, saving villages and fighting the robot armies of the android who originally started this rebellion, Braiking Boss ("Black King" in the Streamline release).

In this iteration, Casshern is portrayed as an amnesiac Jesus allegory whose strength is determined by whatever the writer feels will prove more exciting at the time. Unfortunately, the big problem with this incarnation is that it never actually does feel exciting. Even with an endless supply of exploding robots and a theme song from Mr. Exciting himself, Hironobu Kageyama (Dragon Ball Z/M.D. Geist), this miniseries was unable to elicit any sort of reaction from me. I say this because it just feels like there's far too much emphasis on providing exposition than giving me a reason to care about these characters and why their struggle is so important. Too much tell, not nearly enough show.

The backgrounds and character designs are all really good, but it becomes hard to care once you realize that Casshern has only slightly more fluid animation than a motion comic. The animation was another reason I couldn't get absorbed in any of the fight scenes. There was very little movement during the action, and the fights were kept very short, presumably due to budget constraints.

What could have been a cool, action-packed series about a cyborg superhero karate-chopping robots in half turned out to be surprisingly dull. Casshern: Robot Hunter is a story with a lot of potential that was ultimately squandered by its tendency to put world-building before anything else and its lame animation. I spent most of its run time wanting to just stop it and pop in The Terminator instead, since it explores very similar themes without making me constantly want to check the clock. For a far less mediocre take on this character and his quest to save mankind, I would recommend you watch the original series. The more recent remake, Casshern Sins, is also pretty good, if a fair bit melodramatic.

Casshern: Robot Hunter is based on the 1973 television series, Neo-Human Casshern, created by Tatsunoko Productions.

BATMUNK (1990)

"There ain't no Batmunk, you bozo! He's just a toy!"

When Bat-Mania was in full swing during the late '80s/early 90s, thanks to Tim Burton's highly successful cinematic take on the caped crusader, everybody wanted a piece of the action. Officially-licensed Batman merchandise of all kinds could be readily found at any store, attempts were made to cross the character into even more visual media than merely comic books and film (among them, a certain ground-breaking animated series), and the movie was being parodied everywhere, in every possible way. One such parody that I can recall from those days was the Alvin and the Chipmunks TV episode, Batmunk.

The episode opens up on a foggy night in an unnamed city, where three clowns are robbing a toy store owned by billionaire Brice Wayne (Simon). As they're finishing the job, they debate the existence of Batmunk, afraid that they might be caught. Before they can make their getaway, they are chased down by a dark blue jet, piloted by the high-pitched vigilante they feared. After catching the crooks, Batmunk returns to his mansion, where he and his butler, Happy (Theodore), settle in for the night.

However, it doesn't take long before the three thieves are bailed out of prison by their boss, The Jokester (Alvin). Before they're even given a chance to express their gratitude, he expresses his outrage over how Wayne's Batmunk toys outsell his own Jokester toys. The Jokester then vows to steal Brice Wayne's newest toy idea, and to defeat Batmunk once and for all.

Despite the fact that this short was based on the first Tim Burton Batman movie, it has almost nothing in common with it, story-wise. While Burton's movie was about two flamboyant psychopaths, molded by each other's past actions, fighting over a woman, Batmunk is about two flamboyant rodents of unknown origin fighting over a toy. This has led me to believe that Batmunk wasn't so much parodying the movie, itself, as it was parodying the rampant merchandising campaign that surrounded it for the years that it was still fresh in the public's eye. Considering there were entire documentaries made that were solely about the hype generated by Hollywood leading up to the film's premiere, I don't think this is implausible.

As for the short, itself, there's not really a whole lot to it. The art and animation that don't do very much to distinguish it from other Saturday morning cartoons at the time, and there's a paper-thin plot that recycled a couple ideas from Batman without taking them in any new directions. The one thing I feel that Batmunk has going for it is a short musical montage near the beginning, where the as-of-yet unseen squeaky crusader is chasing the three clowns through the city in his jet while the Chipmunks are singing Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone". The way Batmunk is portrayed onscreen during this segment reminds me of why I originally fell in love with Batman when I was a little kid in the first place: he's a mysterious, intimidating stalker of the night who isn't afraid of anything and will do whatever it takes to snuff out evildoers.

Batmunk hasn't stood the test of time well, and a lot of what's going on will probably be lost on the younger set of Batman fans who got into the character through the newer Chris Nolan movies. However, if you're looking for a quick little trip back to that era of Bat-history, then it's probably worth the twenty minute run time.

Batmunk is the fourth episode of The Chipmunks Go to the Movies, the re-branded eighth season of Alvin and the Chipmunks.

OHH YEAH! The V.O. Career of Randy Savage

Earlier this month, "Macho Man" Randy Savage would have turned 60, had he not tragically lost his life to heart disease early last year.

One of the most famous wrestlers who ever lived, Randy Savage had enjoyed multiple decades worth of glory, countless championship victories, and many other careers outside of the ring. Among them was a long stint as the Slim Jim spokesperson, a short-lived music career, and a job as a cartoon cameo legend.

To celebrate the life of one of the most unique entertainers in television history, here are a few of my favorite moments of Macho Madness to have ever been captured in celluloid:

Duck Dodgers - Master Sergeant Emily Dickinson Jones (Back to the Academy)

In a show that was already overflowing with brilliant celebrity cameos, Randy Savage still managed to stand out as the eponymous hero's worst nightmare. In this episode, Dodgers, played by Daffy Duck, is told that he needs to pass a series of tests if he wants to keep his job as a space captain, and the only thing standing between him and continued employment is a sadistic drill sergeant with a hilarious name. You'd never think it based on my description, but Jones may have actually been the most subdued character that Savage ever played, not that that's saying much at all. He was a total hardass with a nasty temper, but he didn't come off as psychotic in any way, like many of Savage's characters do.

Dexter's Laboratory - Rasslor (Rasslor)

Who better to play a wrestler than an actual wrestler? In one of Dexter's Lab's more memorable Dial M for Monkey segments, a masked warrior of intergalactic influence and power, who calls himself Rasslor, comes to Earth to announce that he has yet to find an opponent worthy of his amazing strength, and that if the Earth can't produce a formidable challenger, then he will obliterate our home planet. Macho Man's voice and personality lend themselves very well to this charismatic, intimidating character, which is what really makes him believable as a galactic overlord.

Space Ghost Coast to Coast - Leonard "The Gray Ghost" Ghostal (Piledriver)

Unlike almost every other celebrity featured on SGC2C, Randy Savage wasn't on set to be interviewed by Space Ghost and crew. Instead, he played SG's grandfather: a retired former champion wrestler who can't stop living in his glory days. He constantly interrupts his grandson during his interviews, and keeps picking fights with guests Rob Zombie and Raven-Symoné. This is one of my favorite episodes of one of my favorite shows, and it's all because of how well Savage is able to portray a goofy, aged version of himself. In fact, his performance is so convincing that I strongly believe that, if he were still alive ten years from now, he would look like Space Ghost with a pasted-on beard.

I was devastated when I had found out that Randy Savage had passed away, especially since he was in the early stages of making a comeback. His death was a huge loss for the entertainment industry, but this is why we all need to remember what about him made us like him in the first place. Whether he was crushing his opponents under the weight of his mighty elbow in the ring, or ordering a talking duck to do fifty push-ups, he was always able to hold my attention.

R.I.P. "Macho Man" Randy Savage

"The tower of power, too sweet to be sour, funky like a monkey, OHH YEAH!"

CLIP SHOW: The Dark Knight Returns

As I put the finishing touches on this site, I'm posting this clip as a (not so subtle) teaser for my first review, which should be up within a day or two.

This clip comes from an episode of The New Batman Adventures, entitled, "Legends of the Dark Knight".