*SPECIAL REVIEW* Megatokyo

When I came back to Anime/Manga again full force, it had nothing to do with some new amazing Japanese series believe it or not, I owe it all to a North American web comic called Megatokyo.

I had heard about the comic for sometime from my roommate, he told me that I really should check it out, I had run into it in passing before, but never stopped long enough to look, to me it had always sorta been the "Hip thing" "Cool thing" and I am usually the last person that will get involved with the latest craze when it comes to Anime/Manga fandom [part of the reason I have never gotten into Naruto I guess] But I figured that I would give it another try one day when I had a few spare minutes at work, it might be fun to see what a North Americans take on this art for is like, what the heck right? Well, I managed to completely read the whole series current [as of March] in two days!

When I started reading I laughed at all of the gaming industry jokes and the satiric humor between the lead characters, Piro and Largo [interestingly enough, neither one of them ever seems to have a last name] as they try to invade E3 [you can never have too many John Romero/Daikatana jokes], then all of a sudden *whoosh!* they are off to Japan, and that’s where the real fun begins.

Piro is the definition of an Otaku, right down to the complete lack of confidence when it comes to women. Largo on the other hand, he is gamer geek, who speaks almost entirely in “l33t” speak as the series goes on. The two of them couldn’t be more different, but their friendship is wonderful to watch as it evolves and matures, and in many ways goes completely the wrong direction. Into their midst comes Hyasaka Erika, and Nanasawa Kimiko, two female roommates that have known each other since highschool, Kimiko is an aspiring Seiryu [voice actress] while Erika works in a local gaming store, much to her own chagrin.

The love interests and coupling are introduced very early on, but it’s the development of those relationships that makes for some of the more wonderful moments in the series. I don’t want to give a lot away, but by the time you get caught up to the current comic, you will have seen every Anime/Manga stereotype thrown on its ear, but with an amazing amount of reverence and loving care. [watch for Genbu and you will see what I mean] Fred Gallagher has so much respect for the culture of Japan and Anime/Manga fandom that he is careful not to overstep his bounds, his storytelling is very well done, parts heartfelt and amusing all in one.

I have heard people criticize the artwork, one has to understand that Fred has been learning as he goes, he is an architect by training not a comic book artist, so for him, it has been all about learning how the human body moves and emotes, not to mention the process of creating 3 strips a week. The early comics were crude by comparison to the later ones, but I urge you to give it a chance, by the current strips the characters look unique, and full of life. Like any good artist Fred is able to capture the feelings of his characters and render them lovingly on the page.


Megatokyo is available on http://www.megatokyo.com on roughly a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule [though that can fluctuate] and you can read the archives there. But I do urge you to go the Megagear Store on the site, and purchase the in print graphic novel compilations of the series as that will help Fred out, as well as keep the series going for the long haul.

I can recommend this series whole heartedly, you will definitely laugh, you might even cry, its one of the true gems of the web coming scene.

MOVIE REVIEW - Speed Racer

Speed Racer has been hyped ever since it was announced that the Wachowskis [of Matrix and V for Vendetta fame] were helming the adaptation of this classic Anime. So was the result worth the hype? Equal parts yes and no.

I have to say that I am mixed on the work of the Wachowskis, I loved the original Matrix, but the sequels felt more like an attempt to cash in on their original success than realy furthering the story, and in many ways felt like a regression. V for Vendetta was a masterpiece, they stuck to the original source material and created a compelling, haunting vision of what the future could hold. So it was with a slight trepidation that I went and saw Speed Racer on opening night.

The story follows the one in the Anime to a large extent, Speed Racer [Emile Hirsch], is a young boy who can dream of nothing else than racing cars and being like his older brother Rex, who is tragically killed in a mysterious racing accident after leaving the family racing team to go his own way. When Speed grows up he eventually asscends in the family team run by his father "Pops" [John Goodman] and begins to carve his own path, when an unusual racing Tycoon, Royalton [played masterfully by Rex Allam] comes into the scene Speed must decide between doing whats best for his family, and fame and fortune.

The visual presentation screams Anime, the colors are bright, vibrant and oversaturated, the cars are every bit as crazy as they were in the TV show, and the characters and environments have that wonderful larger than life feel [when you see Royalton industries you will understand] There are also some wonderful touches to the show that harken back to its Japanese roots, you will see row upon row of cherry trees in full bloom and the writing is almost all in Japanese, its a lovely touch that shows the Wachowskis reverance for the material.

The action scenes are second to none, while obviously computer generated its hard not to get caught up in the environments and their majesty, from the rally race to the main race tracks their is an over the top insanity that manages to still stay realatively grounded in reality. You will laugh at the absurdity at the weapons used, but find the scenes draw you in and not let go. The sense of speed is amazing, and I don't doubt that some will get motion sick watching this film.

So if you add that all together, then what was my issue that left me thinking this was anything less than perfect? My problem comes down to the casting, primarily the use of all the Australian and British actors, for a story that is supposed to be set in Japan you see very little of the Japanese, the actors they hired are amazing, but the film felt jarring with them in it, I wasn't prepared for the constant barrage of British and Aussie accents, it felt out of place.

Those thematic issues aside the cast did a very good job headlined by Rex Allam as Royalton and Matthew Fox as Racer X, those two along with John Goodman as Pops, Susan Sarrandon as Mom, and Emile Hirsch as Speed Racer gave convincing performances as both family and foe, the journey was fun to watch for all of them, each playing off the other with the delicateness that the script required. The comedic performances by John Goodman and Christina Ricci [Who honestly looks like an Anime character given life] were price of admission alone.

Crowds have been mixed, as opening weekend numbers show, its certainly not the Matrix, but it wasn't meant to be, it was meant to be a fun family film harkening back to a simpler time, and it does that in spades. While the true Anime fan is going to have some niggles, even they won't be able to resist it charms and have a great time.

Final Conclusion 8/10