Batman the animated series

       Over the ages there have been several re-imaginings of Batman in animation. There's Batman from the Brave and the Bold that subtly hints at the original Adam West Batman. There's the edgy teen centric Batman Beyond with Terry McGinnis as the protector of Gotham city instead of Billionaire Bruce Wayne. Yet with all these there is one Batman that comes to mind when people think of Batman cartoons. The one that heavily influenced the live action DC movies. The one and only Batman the animated series.

      Batman the animated series first aired in 1992. With Kevin Conroy doing the voice of Bruce Wayne and Batman. With the low gravely tone Conroy gives Batman to keep his identity a secret it's clear where Christian Bale grew inspiration from for his "Batman" voice in the Dark Knight rises. Where Bale went for the full he swallowed a full bag of gravel Conroy keeps it a bit more subtle.

      Batman in the animated series has something that The Dark Knight rises doesn't have, a sense of humor. Bruce Wayne has a dry sense of humor that sometimes makes it hard for others to determine if he's being serious or sarcastic. As Batman he even has a joke at his opponent's expense. As Bruce Wayne the bunt of his dry humor is often the loyal Wayne family Butler Alfred Pennywise. Batman the animated series does what I wish the Christopher Nolan movies went with, they made Batman human.

 (He has the same outfit in a very dark grey)

       
      Heroes  are great and all, but a hero is not a hero unless there is a villain. Batman the animated share has its fair share of villains. Mark Hamill is my favorite Joker. He doesn't commit crime for revenge or for some giant scheme to get back at the man, he simply does it because it entertains him. He keeps Batman on his feet and is Batman's arch nemesis through out the series.

    Arleen Sorkin is the original voice of Harley Quinn. Paul Dini the series writer was given the inspiration to create a sidekick for the Joker while sick at home watching Days of Our lives and seeing Arleen Sorkin on the show in a harlequin costume. Harley Quinn is childlike and impulsive the opposite of the psychiatrist of Arkham asylum Harleen Quinzel. Harley's one side infatuation with the Joker began when Harleen worked at the Arkham Asylum. The Joker took advantage of her caring personality and she empathized with and fell in love with the Joker. Still the relationship is very one sided and he has no trouble putting her in harms way.

Poison Ivy or Pamela Isley as we're first introduced to her as has little interest in money. Diane Pershing provides the voice of Poison Ivy as she give the botanist a sultry and stern voice. Pamela cares for two things. Her plants who she will kill for and her friend Harley who she often shelters and cares for after Joker's tirades.

Selena Kyle/Catwoman voiced by Adrienne Barbeau is Batman's on an off again love interest, well I wouldn't call it love, but there is interest. She is practically Bruce and Batman's equal. They're both rich and have a difficulty breaking from their personal code. Though the cat burglary and being the saviour of Gotham are where their similarities ends, but hey nothing is perfect.

There are some episodes with less well known characters such as the Pied Piper who kidnaps children and holds them in the sewers for a burglary rings and a foreman who overworks the elderly he kidnaps and forces to mine gold ore. Both left such a little impression that I practically forgot them within a few episodes.

 I liked the show and wished it was still on, but it did give a base to branch out further with the DC Universe as Kevin Conroy continues his role as Batman in Justice League.

Because it's October 3rd

    Once something is lost is it truly gone? What are you willing to lose to bring it back? And if it does come back are you willing to face the consequences if what returns isn't what it once was?

    Today is October third. The day Edward and Alphonse Elric left their childhood home behind and set forth trying to correct their mistakes.

       After trying to bring back their dead mother using a human transmutation circle. Young novice alchemists Edward and Alphonse Elric lose more than they bargained for. Edward loses an arm and leg while his younger brother Alphonse loses much more, his body. Edward seals Alphonse's soul in a suit of armor. Their childhood friend Winry and her grandmother Pinako nurse Edward back to health. Winry crafts a metal prosthetic arm and leg also know as auto mail for Edward, At the age of twelve Edward becomes the youngest person in history to pass the state alchemist exam. With his metal arm and leg he is given the code name Full Metal Alchemist. 

                                            (Some arts and crafts should not be part of family bonding)

     Just like his stature the pint sized pip squeak has an attitude to match. He tries to play the cool, calm, and collected hero for his brother, but if anyone brings up his height he is quick to retaliate. Alphonse is often the one to calm others down while Edward has a tantrum. Over the episodes Edward matures, but the guilt of his brother's body being a sacrifice for a failed transmutation circle (something that was forbidden) still lingers on his conscience.

      Alright that's as spoiler free as I can get. The anime teaches a lesson. That some things are meant to stay gone and that you should appreciate what remains. That instead of waiting to be saved the best option is to pull up your boot straps and be your own hero.

~Favorite Character~
 -Honestly it's between Colonel Maes Hughes with his infectious excitement and love for his young daughter who Edward helped deliver or Riza Hawkeye who is just an all around bad ass mama bear who keeps the commanding office from falling apart.

~Least Favorite Character~

      -I would say Füher King Bradley, but this is the guy you are supposed to hate. He may seem like the gleeful boss that just happens to have a bit of a dictator streak to him, but once his true identity is a reveal you'll see he is a raging a-hole.

     -The character who grates my skin would be Shou Tucker aka The Sewing Life Alchemist. This man may look sweet, but he deserves no sympathy. He didn't blink an eye when he sacrificed his wife and daughter when his certification was on the line.

~Why I'm crying~

      Like my favorite character I'm torn between two scenes. Maes Hughes funeral or Nina Tucker fused with her dog and killed by Scar.

                                                            (We all know you're useless in the rain)

~My Aww moment~

     -Edward's proposal to Winry by comparing it to the equivalent exchange rule of alchemy. Yes I know it isn't the most romantic proposal, but it's the thought that counts. Still my favorite couple would have to be Riza Hawkeye and Roy Mustang for filling the role the boys' parents.

      Yes, I know this was brief. I myself wouldn't really count it as a review. I would count FMA on the list of recommendations. So if you find yourself in the mood for an anime with a great story that will make you care for the characters you can't go wrong with Full Metal Alchemist.

             

                                                       ~Until next time I hope your journey fares well.

    

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The Adventures of Robin Hood

There is a question that can serve as a rudimentary personality test: What is your favorite movie version of Robin Hood.

The correct answer, of course, is The Adventures of Robin Hood starring Errol Flynn and directed by Michael Curtiz and William Keighley. But there are many people in this world, so I'm told, and there are just as many opinions on such things, so I'm told, so my opinion is no more valid than any other.

 The story takes place during the rule of Richard I of England, who has been away on the Third Crusade (presented as a noble but misguided endeavor) and then was captured by Leopold of Austria while on his way back from the Holy Land in the year 1191, his campaign having ended in an uneasy truce with Saladin. The king's younger brother Prince John (played by Claude Rains at his most oily charming), with the aid of the Norman aristocracy (which had supplanted the Saxon nobility after the Norman Conquest starting in 1066), specifically Sir Guy of Gisbourne (Basil Rathbone), use this excuse to usurp the power of the realm from Richard's appointed regent and use the excuse of collecting the ransom for Richard's release to tax and abuse the Saxon peasantry.

Enter Robin Hood, played by Errol Flynn.  Flynn played the part with his trademark charm, which works perfectly with the tradition of Robin Hood being the lovable rogue, all the way back to when his story consisted of a highwayman holding up passersby and inviting them to dinner, only to ask them for payment for his hospitality.

Robin, a Saxon noble, champions the cause of the commoners against the overreaches of the Norman nobility.  However, his cause is not seen as such from all corners, including Lady Marian (Olivia de Havilland).  And since Robin's land and title were confiscated and he was named an outlaw (even referred to as a "wolf's head" by Prince John at one point, a reference to the practice of paying a bounty on wolves and outlaws at the time), he was given no other recourse than to retreat into Sherwood Forest and gather a band of followers.

The usual Merry Men appear, Little John recruited during a dispute over a log bridge, Friar Tuck recruited with the promise of food, among others.

The most interesting relationship dynamic is between Robin and Marian.  She's introduced at the banquet early in the film, and she is less than responsive to his charm, even suffering a sting from his wit.  However, upon meeting him a second time, she begins to thaw toward him upon learning that the rumors she'd heard of his leading a band of outlaws for personal gain, rather than his actual goal of safeguarding the oppressed and freeing King Richard.  Over time (it's unclear exactly how long it takes), Marian and Robin fall in love (of course, it's a film made in 1938, and that's just the way the story goes), and she begins forwarding intelligence from Nottingham Castle.

Modern audiences may take issue with Marian's passive role, but I'd argue that she's actually using her established skills as a lady of court to her advantage.  Since knights and nobles began training at roughly the age of seven, she'd be at a distinct disadvantage if she were to take up arms openly against Prince John and Sir Guy.

I'll grant that she becomes a damsel in distress toward the end, after she's found out overhearing a conversation between Prince John and Sir Guy.  But she doesn't beg for mercy.

Errol Flynn is, in my opinion, the definitive Robin Hood.  He plays him with such swashbuckling charm, easy athleticism, and eternal optimism.  It was the role he was born to play.

Robin Hood is given three grand entrances, each one exceeding the last. And the action scenes also up the ante with each occurrence.  Howard Hill, Flynn's stand in for the archery skill scenes, puts his abilities on display with the amazing archery scenes.  These include shooting directly into stuntmen's chests ("safely" covered in blocks of wood), massive sword fights, and one on one duels (the final duel is the oft parodied shadow fight).  While the fencing is classic stage and movie dueling, it's still dynamic and energetic, never allowing the viewer to relax.

But this leads to the reason why there are two directors.  Flynn had just finished making a couple of films with Michael Curtiz, resulting in a rocky relationship due to personality and safety differences.  So Flynn was excited to work with William Keighley, but Keighley suffered delays in production, mostly non-action pieces being filmed.  And so the studio stepped in, pulling Keighley and replacing him with Curtiz, who streamlined the production at the cost of some safety precautions.  There's a story that Flynn had to face a stuntman during the climactic battle who didn't have a safety sleeve on his sword because it'd look better without one.  Flynn climbed up to the balcony that Curtiz was directing from and threatened him with the sword.

Despite all this, they were able to pull it all together and create a truly classic film, with arguably more accurate costuming than most modern films (contrary to Hollywood belief, people had access to different colored dyes for their clothes and bathed more than twice a decade) while making full use of the Technicolor format they had available.

So, with the perfect Robin Hood, the perfect blend of charm and swashbuckling action, a Maid Marian who played to her strengths while also having a personality and reasons for her actions beyond trying to appease the hero, great use of the format, and a great score, this is THE greatest version of the story of England's lovable rogue who robs from the rich and gives to the poor.

Berserk(First impression)

     I believe in the value of first impressions so that's why I am starting from the very beginning. The pilot of Kentaro Miura's Berserk  aired in 1997. I was ten at the time and didn't have cable. My first actual introduction to Berserk was over seven or eight years ago. I remember joking with my husband that we should paint the nursery of our first child with the Hell scene from the anime. It did provide for some interesting pregnancy dreams though.

       With it being over five years since I've watched Berserk my first impression of the show has been forgotten. I think I remembered liking it, but I didn't want to get my hopes up.

      So after a long day of Blues Clues, chasing a tiny nudist, and checking homework I finally have absolute power to choose what to watch without worrying about giving my kids nightmares. This was mommy's alone time. Berserk is not a kids show, unless you want to mentally scar your kids for life. I should also throw in a epilepsy warning. Before a parent lets their little Timmy and Jane watch this and whines about it here are your warnings:
*Blood
*Violence
*Language
*Semi-sexual content/nudity

     (No gripes if you're not ready to party)

      A thing to note about Berserk is that everything was drawn by hand and in some scenes it definitely shows. With the use of CGI becoming even more popular and with shows like Akira the animation in Berserk is a bit sub par especially with scenes that I can only refer to as shaky cam still photo reminiscent of Speed Racer. With as often as they used the still photos and lazy animation I wondered if it would have worked better as graphic novel with audio narration.

      The voice acting for some of the side characters is a bit trying to hard and just not getting there. In quite a few scenes the audio does not match up to what is being said or done. Sword clinks and clanks are heard seconds after they hit and not immediately. I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt and blame it on it being a 90s anime. Marc Diraison does a wonderful job as the voice of Guts so there is some hope for improvement.

        The music on the other hand I have absolutely no complaints. The opening credits Tell Me Why by  Pen Pals are catchy and pumps me up to continue watching while the closing credits Waiting So Long by Silver Fins  are slow and intriguing so they make me curious for the next episode.

        When we first start watching the episode the scene opens with a blacksmith working on a sword while a man in the shadows waits. Following soon after that is a scene similar to one found in a few westerns. A town tavern terrorized by the local gang of misfits. This time they're dragging a young girl with them for bumping into them. One of misfits takes it too far and next thing you know he is dead on the ground with blood pouring out of his head. The man in the shadows reappears and kills all but one of the misfits. It's at these first scenes that we are introduced to Guts
   
        There is a ton of room for character development, With Guts and Casca being the first main characters we're introduce to I'm going to focus on them for now. My first complaint about Casca is that she is supposed to be a strong badass but I find my self feeling irritated by her weak maiden in distress playing with the boys introduction. Casca is the stereotypical little sister character. She is a jealous stepmother and creepy infatuation away from being Disney royalty. 

        As for Guts I don't have any idea what his motive is yet, but for now he is a pretty exchangeable tough guy in the shadows kind of guy. It's obvious what Gut's sword is a euphemism for.

   
**Random thoughts**
* Dante's Inferno/ The Divine comedy the animated version brought to you by Speed Racer animation
*Why try to animate when you can just have you voice actors scream over a drawing?
*Several scenes with lazy animation or no animation at all
*Well at least the music is good
     

My overall opinion is watch for the story line, but don't expect to be impressed by the animation.
                                                                              - Mouse