#64, I can attest that at least some anime titles may seem strange but are, in fact, literal. For example, the recent series Hayate the Combat Butler really is about a combat butler (and is as silly as it sounds). My all-time favorite example of this is Butt Attack Punisher Girl Gotaman, the story of a student at a Christian girl's high school who is visited by Buddha who says, "What has Christianity done for you lately? Here, I'll give you superpowers." Then she goes forth to punish people. With her butt.
On the other hand, sometimes English word salad just sounds appealing...or doesn't sound so appealing but sticks. There was once a young manga artist whose editor wanted him to use the pseudonym Monkey Punch. Said artist complained that this was a pretty stupid name, but the editor assured him it would just be for this one project they were working on, and when he got his big break later on the artist could use whatever name he wanted. Said project turned out to be the massively successful Lupin III, and thus our hero was known as Monkey Punch for the rest of his life. The moral of the story: never let your editor choose a name for you.
jmmcdermott @ #48, just so you know Satoshi Kon, the creator of Paranoia Agent, did not work on the anime flick Metropolis. Not that Metropolis ain't great, but it was directed by Rin Taro and adapted from the Tezuka manga by Katsuhiro "You all saw Akira, right?" Otomo. You may have been thinking of Kon's work on a segment of Memories, the anthology film based on Otomo's manga, which is also pretty amazing.
As for Satoshi Kon, everything the man does is astonishingly good. For folks not familiar with his work, in addition to the aforementioned Paranoia Agent TV series Kon directed four films, all of which are crucial viewing: Perfect Blue, a psychological drama about an actress and a stalker; Millennium Actress, a love letter to Japanese cinema from around the mid 30's to the late 60's; Tokyo Godfathers, a Christmas story based on 3 Godfathers which replaces John Wayne and cowboys with the homeless in Tokyo; and his latest, the visually stunning Paprika, about a device that allows users to interact with others dreams and how things go horribly wrong when it is stolen.
Sorry to gibber on, but the raw power of Satoshi Kon cannot be overstated.
As an anime related aside, moments ago I was enthusing wildly about the opening and ending sequences for a new series called Moyashmion: Tales of Agriculture, so I'll share my appreciation for it here as well.
Moyashimon is about an agricultural college freshman who can see microbes with the naked eye. Cue his adventures learning about biology while hanging out with weird professors, lab assistants with a tendency to wear leather, and slovely grad students. Everyone is obsessed with sake making and the microbes are all terribly, terribly cute. The opening sequence conveys this cuteness with very smooth CG graphics, and while YouTube's resolution doesn't really show the charm of the claymation ending sequence, boy is that ending theme song catchy. They're both well worth the three minutes total it'll take to watch 'em.
The folks studying seam carving have finally discovered the a way to allow the jilted to remove their ex-lovers from photographs without having to resort to scissors. We are entering the age of Orwellian romance.
And, yes, Tribbles ala Gorey was the best thing ever.
Lila@21, for the true trifecta of food-lust inducing media, add the Juzo Itami film Tampopo to your list. If attempting to view Tampopo, it is absolutely vital that you go into it as full as possible, preferably from having eaten a large, fully packed bowl of ramen in advance.
Bruce, A Contract With Patarillo would be the greatest comic ever made. Also, I covet your Project Stardust laserdisc.
I also wholeheartedly agree with the application of Sturgeon's Law to manga. Comics is comics is comics and no particular style is inherently better than any other; it's just that with the massive amount of manga the Japanese produce the odds of finding the good stuff are higher when compared to the smaller US market.
Finally, for anyone wondering about the panel flow of manga, keep in mind that Tezuka's big innovation in creating the modern style of manga was to make it very cinematic. Think of it as frames of a movie going by. Of course, this means that the more spastic boy's manga are using MTV style editing and some of the more stylized manga artists are producing the equivalent of advant garde film.
I recently made a slew of manga recommendations at a message board I frequent, and feel no shame whatosever in recycling them for another audience:
Planetes - In the not-too-distant future, mankind has established a firm foothold in space, with plenty of orbital industry, a thriving Moon colony, and a manned mission to Jupiter in the works. It's an exciting, glamorous time...except for the poor bastards who have to pick up the garbage. Planetes is hard SF about orbital debris collectors with wonderful characters and a lovely ending. And, at five volumes total, it's relatively short, at least by manga standards.
Naoki Urasawa's Monster - When a gifted surgeon saves the life of a young boy, his own life becomes intertwined with that of a ruthless, inhuman serial killer. Cue eighteen volumes of psychological horror, grim detective work, and (from what I've been told) some astonishing plot twists. Urasawa combines edge-of-your-seat writing with top-notch, highly realistic art to produce one of the absolute best comics being published in America today. Yes, it's long, but the payoff looks to be absolutely worth it. Two volumes of a projected eighteen are currently available.
Nausicaa - Ideally, all I have to do is say, "It's by Hayao Miyazaki", and everyone reading this would immediately rush out and buy it. However, for those of you who aren't quite as enlightened, it's Studio Ghibli's master of the fantastic drawing a gorgeous, cationary science fiction tale of environmental disaster, the surviving civilization, and those who would bring back the devistating weapons of the past. There's a terrific movie based on the comic; go rent that and, if you like it, consider the comic crucial reading. Seven volumes, available from Viz in a lovely new edition.
Death Note - A bright high school student stumbles across a notebook left laying around by a bored death god and discovers the notebook's power to kill anone whose name is written in it. Unfortunatly, the student then decides he can use this notebook to change the world for the better, at which point all hell breaks loose. Cue a cat and mouse game between the student, the brilliant detective determined to catch him, and an increasing number of third parties with murder on their minds. The series gets a bit talky at times, but the concept is intriguing and the art is terrific. Five volumes have been released with another seven or so to go, and they're a bargin at eight bucks a pop.
Genshiken - When a college freshman runs into an old childhood friend who has gone from gawky to gorgeous, she's convinced that she's found the perfect boyfriend. Then she learns of his all-consuming devotion to otaku culture and finds herself caught in the vortex of the local anime club. Cue our heroine trying to make sense of the hapless geeks and the cartoons, comics, and video games that dominate their lives. While it's nice to get the in-jokes, fear not - you can know absolutely zilch about anime and still have a blast reading this comic. Wacky hijinx abound, with a touch of romance thrown in to keep things interesting. Five volumes of a projected eight are currently available from Del Ray.
Golgo 13 - The legendary assassin Golgo 13 has been taking on assignments every two weeks for over three decades and has never failed to get his man. However, even if the end of each story is never in question, the details of each operation are never less than fascinating. G13 travels the world, from conflict zones to big cities to rural backwaters, and dispatches his target with plenty of action, politics, and sex along the way. With over 130 volumes published in Japan, there's a lot of G13 to choose from. Fortunatly, omnibus editions collecting both the author's and the reader's favorite stories were recently released, which Viz has licensed for the US market. This means we'll be getting 13 of Golgo 13's greatest capers. Each and every story is completely stand alone, so grab a volume (two are available) and see what you think.
Nodame Cantabile - A very quirky romantic comedy about our heroine Nodame (who can charitably be described as "eccentric") who falls for a piano student and would-be conductor at her music school. His reaction ranges from horrified, to resigned, and eventually to intrigued once he gets a glimpse of her vast, untapped potential. But mostly he's horrified. Nodame Cantabile provides a charming look inside the world of classical music with plenty of romance to boot. However, as much as I love this title the humor strikes me as very love it or hate it, so sit down at your local big box bookseller and read a bit of the first volume before jumping in. Five volumes are out, with the series at volume thirteen and still going in Japan.
Anything by Osamu Tezuka - He's not called the God of Comics for nothing. Don't let the cutesy style of his characters fool you; Tezuka is a master storyteller, with work ranging from the light to the very heavy indeed. In particular, I'd recommend either Phoenix or Buddha. Phoenix alternates between early Japanese civilization and humanity's far future amont the stars, coming closer together with each volume and telling the story of the legendary phoenix and how her power affects mankind. As each volume is (reasonably) self contained, I'd recommend starting with my favorite, Karma, released in the US as volume four of the series. Meanwhile, Buddha is just what it sounds like, a biographical comic about the trials and tribulations of the man himself. This is far more entertaining than it sounds, as Tezuka does a bang-up job of dramatizing Buddha's life, with plenty of humor and action thrown in to spice things up a bit. Vertical has just released the first of eight volumes of Buddha in paperback.
I also third the recommendation for Lone Wolf and Cub, which combines a bloody, epic revenge story with tons of historical detail. It's a bit long at 28 volumes but the payoff is well worth it. The same creators collaborated on a shorter series, Samurai Executioner, a series of lurid tales of crime and punishment (so to speak) in a more self contained format. Either series is top notch and highly recommended.
And that's probably more than enough manga recommendations for the time being. I'd recommend any of these titles to a curious adult who hasn't picked up a comic in ages and wants to see what all the fuss is about.
When I hear "singing news" the first thing that comes to mind is calypso, a genre where performers have been singing the news for well over a century. For some wonderful examples, look for the compilation album London Is The Place For Me: Trinidadian Calypso In London, 1950-1956, released by Honest Jon's records. In addition to songs about everyday life, there are several tunes that document specific events, such as "I Was There (At The Coronation"), "Victory Test Match" (about a cricket game), and Lord Beginner's "Jamaica Hurricane".
"Well it's time to celebrate your birthday, it happens every year; we'll eat a lot of broccoli and drink a lot of beer!"
Many happy returns!
And now, if e'er by chance I choke
When entering the Floo
Or stumble in a darkened hall
Into an angry grue,
Or if I let my tattoo show
And feel the stares of hate,
I weep, for it reminds me so,
Of that old man who we all know--
Whose look was sad, whose breath did slow
Whose beard was like the driven snow,
Whose face was cut 'til bone did show,
With eyes that would no longer glow,
Whose protégé, half-made with woe,
Did rock his body to and fro,
And cursed himself for being slow,
And too late yelling "accio",
Surrounded by that sick green glow,
That summer eve, a week ago,
A-dying at the gate
As the Potions Master sang the last words of the ballad, he gathered up his robes, and turned his broomstick along the corridor by which they had come. "You've only a few yards to go," he said, "down the stairs and into the Great Hall, and then you'll graduate - but you'll stay and see me off first?" he added as Hermione turned with an eager look towards matriculation. "I shan't be long. You'll wait and wave your wand when I get to that turn in the hallway? I think it'll encourage me, you see."
"Of course I'll wait," said Hermione: "and thank you very much for not failing me - and for the song - I liked it very much."
"I hope so," the Potions Master said doubtfully: "but you didn't cry so much as I thought you would."
I can't resist throwing in a few more New York song recommendations:
- "Luckiest Guy on the Lower East Side" by the Magnetic Fields from _69 Love Songs, Vol. 1_
- "53rd and 3rd" by the Ramones from _Ramones_
- And, while I agree with Tom Whitmore's suggestion, I have to go with Steeleye Span's version of "New York Girls" from _Commoners Crown_, if only because it features Peter Sellers on the ukelele.
I also enthusiastically second the recommendation for Nina Hagen's "New York New York", particularly the German version. And, for an amusing variation on "The 59th Street Bridge Song", track down DJ Wally's "Feelin' Groovy" from his album _Genetic Flaw_, where he plays havoc with the original by relentlessly looping the line "I've come to watch your flowers growing" and adding a heavy beat. It's a hoot, and you can dance to it.
PiscusFiche said: "What's the name of that rule where you lose an argument by invoking comparisons to Nazis?"
You may be thinking of Godwin's Law. From the Jargon File:
"Godwin's Law: prov.
[Usenet] “As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one.” There is a tradition in many groups that, once this occurs, that thread is over, and whoever mentioned the Nazis has automatically lost whatever argument was in progress. Godwin's Law thus practically guarantees the existence of an upper bound on thread length in those groups. However there is also a widely- recognized codicil that any intentional triggering of Godwin's Law in order to invoke its thread-ending effects will be unsuccessful."
http://www.jargon.8hz.com/html/G/Godwins-Law.html
Phil
The Research Triangle Park isn't normally a bastion of winter weather, but after spending a couple of days snowed I am fully able to empathize with "Colorado". Seeing the song referenced absolutely made my day. For those of you who don't already know and love the song, it is, indeed, courtesy of the National Lampoon, from their savage Woodstock parody _Lemmings_. It's back in print and available on CD for those of you who don't feel like dusting off or acquiring a turntable.
Phil "Except for Blanche who wouldn't leave her man" Lee
"Haven't seen any of the three movies yet because I'm going to read the book first in order to refresh my memory on the details"
Toni, you may want to consider holding off on that re-read until after you've seen the films. I hadn't read Lord of the Rings in ages, and decided I'd rather go into the theatre cold than with the book fresh on my mind. I'm glad that I did; while my Tolkien fanatic friends were wincing periodically, I was blissfully ignorant of the changes that were made to the theatrical version.
Of course, even die-hard purists I've talked to tend to love the movies, so re-reading the book probably won't significantly affect your enjoyment of the adaptation. Carry on! Don't mind me!
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