REVIEW: Ode to Tezuka: "Kirihito" Classic Is a Must Read

[Article written for Toon Zone News - 06.12.06]

[note: This review published at Toon Zone the week of this entry has been referenced by "Ode to Kirihito" publisher - Vertical. Specifically the company blog by Anne Ishii (Vertical's Marketing and Publishing director).]

I doubt few eyebrows would raise if I was to declare that we all live in "uncertain times." However, beyond the concerns of the upcoming global catastrophes, the political deceit, the uncontrolled growth of technology and of course, this generation's most profound question, just who will Britney Spears eventually settle down with, there is one definite certainty: we live in a world utterly swamped to it's teeth... with fiction.

This itself is a concern - maybe not as important to the world as global warming, or the question as to whether Big Brother is really good television, but one we all share at some level, even if we don't realize it.

It's not so much as to the quality of the said fiction, but the quantity. After all, we don't just have books, we have comics. We don't just have theater, we have cinema. We don't just have radio, we have television. No matter what your class, sex, religion or interest in Madonna's family plans, you are bound to have stories coming at you from left, right and center. With such a deluge, ideas, structures and outcomes are bound to overlap. In an age when fiction means money, we are bombarded mostly by stories made for the most lightweight brain and candlewick attention span.

So it's a delight to read something entirely different. I would call Ode to Kirhito, a graphic epic by manga grandfather Osamu Tezuka, just that: Different. The story, the structure and the atmosphere carves a tiny island in the torrents and fast moving rapids of vaguely-familiar-fiction.

First off, there is always something refreshing about reading any story from another culture, particularly one so distant to construction techniques of Western fiction. Those natural conventions of our own western story telling are broken by the whims of an eastern culture. I've always found Japanese fiction particularly fascinating in this respect; it doesn't follow the patterns I've been brought up to expect. Ode to Kirihito is a perfect example of such cultural difference in fiction being I've read nothing like it in western literature. In fact, it could indeed be one of the best stories you'll read - wherever you live in the world.

I would strongly recommend any new reader to Ode to Kirihito to go into this one blank. The less you know about Ode to Kirihito, the better. And with that, I'll explain what the book is about. So you might want to skip this next paragraph. Even better, just buy the book and skip the whole review. Trust me, I won't hold it against you.

A medical university in Japan is studying the effects of Monmow, a rare physical ailment that is yet to be quantified as either contagious pathogen or endemic. Politics begin to create an unfortunate mix with the search for facts as the need to explain the condition increases. The importance of Monmow becomes the very heart of a tale that blends tragedy and conspiracy into an epic story about the human condition. As Dr Kirhito Osanai investigates the origins of Monmow, he finds himself questioning the very medical legacy he's built his life on. In fact, he becomes the very subject of his own investigation...

If I may get straight to the point - to those who were not formerly aware - Ode to Kirhito is a classic piece of.. well, something. Without sounding melodramatic, I'm not sure how it's best defined. Certainly it's a "graphic novel," but in my humble opinion, it transcends the standard conventions of that medium. It is a very graphic story, but the pacing and flow of the tale, in relation to the balance of narrative to visuals, is more akin to a cinematic experience than a comic one. To transcend another media boundary, the graphic novel has the duration and patience in it's storytelling you'd find it a written book. Yes, it's a graphic novel by definition, but it feels like something more.

For instance, Osamu Tezuka had an ability to manipulate the reader's sense of time; the panel work in relation to size, position and context, manage to motivate the feel of pacing in a way that film does so well. It feels like a film, even though it's medium is comic book. Quite honestly, it's an incredible experience.

As for the all important artwork, the trappings of the genre are there in Tezuka's style - hardly surprising since he is considered as one of the "grandfathers" of Manga. However, there is far more to his work beyond the stylistic expectations of the Japanese comic medium. The "color" to his black and white work is, at times, staggering. He's an all important example to all wannabe "manga artists": that a style is by no means a definition of the artist. Tezuka's work delves into the manga style, but is not trapped by it. His work switches depending on the context of the story. You'll notice throughout the book that his art uses virtually no grayscale printing processes - the tones you'll find come from ink techniques; crosshatching, white out, ink marking. The style and complexity of the art varies depending on narratives requirements. This creates an unpredictable contrast between comic and traditional artwork, rendering makes each page a delight unto itself; you're never sure quite what the next page will offer.

Furthermore, the storyboarding is exceptional. Tezuka knew just how to draw the audience in - or pull them out - of a situation as he desired. His use of angles, panels and measured distances within his compositions help capture the mood and drive of the narrative. His sequences pull the audience around the environments as fluidly if they were following a camera.

This is a big book over near 1000 pages and this makes the read even more involving. The story has no need to rush or force conclusions, it moves with a natural momentum.

If you are a Western reader with little experience of Japanese fiction, beware - you'll find it unconventional and unpredictable by your standards. It will confuse and occasionally it will shock. The story has no specific moral standards to adhere it's protagonists to and none of the characters are safe in Tezuka's hands. But that is the beauty of the book. It is unconventional and while contemporary fiction - particularly in comic books - enjoy attempting to shock their readers, few do it with such style and maturity.

If I was to pick out one particularly impressive element of the story, it must be the cultural observations that the book enjoys. Some of these comments are on Japanese culture, others are on how it relates to other cultures, or how the people of different cultures perceive the Japanese themselves. So often it seems the Japanese genre remains heavily contained within it's borders, often offering a skeptical eye on the rest of the world. Ode to Kirihito comes across as being a little more honest in it's perceptions of culture. In some respects, the story goes behind culture and looks at humanity itself, and to by what means we classify ourselves as "people;" just what expectations and presumptions make us people or create our role in society itself. Tezuka is not afraid of any religious commentary either, or the characteristics of faith in relation to the character. While heavily science fiction, like with all greats in his genre, it's root comes from human culture. All these observations intelligently interweave into each other as the story grows, giving the reader more to think upon that merely the events of the tale.

While graphic novels are a far more reputed medium than in previous years, it's a pity that stories like this don't get more prolific mainstream exposure. Those who read manga will undoubtedly know how good this book is, and how vital Tezuka was to the manga industry. However, I do feel that such a classic story deserves an even greater reverence. Who knows, maybe this western compilation will do just that, for this is an extremely well presented release of Ode to Kihihito. It's sure to look good on your bookshelf.

In fact, I wish I could offer a few negative criticisms about the book, but I found nothing that I felt didn't work within the tale. I'm certainly not going to go looking for nitpicks just for the sake of it. As far as I'm concerned, this is as near perfect as matters.

There are not many comic books of near a 1,000 pages that fill me with the desire to read more. There are not many books that could tempt me to perform a full frontal lobotomy with a pencil and cheese stick, just so I can have the pleasure of reading it again.

Read. Operate. Read it again. It's worth it.

REVIEW: Cartoon Outkast: Class of 3000 misses the grade!

[Article written for Toon Zone News - 03.11.06 - preview screener]

I've never been overly comfortable with cartoons based on established media persona. Having celebrity personalities voicing fictional cartoon characters, fine. Celebrity personalities voicing themselves, spat into the middle of a fictitious universe in which they themselves play the central hero just seems rather indulgent.

After all, it's the fact that Batman or Bugs Bunny cannot exist within our humdrum reality that makes them so exciting; the fascination comes in knowing we can't do what they can. Granted, few are able - or willing - to drop beats like Outkast's Andre 3000. The question I pose is whether his niche musical skills alone are enough wallop for him to stand side by side with the animated medium's larger than life personalities.

First off we are best explaining a little about the Class of 3000 and just where this rather early rant derives from. Well, there is very little to tell. Pop star "Sunny Bridges" (while not officially named Andre 3000 he looks, sounds and has the same musical ground as he) has lost interest in living the life of the world famous pop-star. Poor him. Until that joy returns he's decided to - oh so graciously - step in as a teacher to a load of misfit school-kids.

Yes, he is going to teach music in the way that only Andre 3000 - I'm sorry, "Sunny" - can, and I suspect that's because all the other teachers are classically and formally trained and only Andre is not.

Needless to say, Andre/Sunny is here to liven up the class and teach some music. Ha, maybe if he gets chance, he'll sit in on a class himself. "Meow" to the highest.

Catty comments aside, Class of 3000 does have some genuinely funny moments. It's quite clear it has a fairly slick writing team onboard. However the slightly quirky, irrelevant humor does feel more artificial than genuine. We've been given the chance to sample a couple of episodes.

Peanuts, Get Yer Peanuts!

Sunny begins teaching and gets off to a [insert current trendy, hip jargon for "great" here] start. Unfortunately those nasty, boring teachers demand he gets down with a small thing called "paperwork" and poor Sunny is stuck at a desk filling out forms when his class is left to prepare for an annual event that focuses on...peanuts. Can they take his few words of wisdom and use them to create one mean peanut orientated event?

The opening sequence is a little annoying. It suffers from Mary Poppins syndrome: it belittles the professionals somewhat to enhance the main star. Sunny is such an krazy, hip, on the level "teacher" (and I use "teacher" cautiously, as from what we see in the two episodes we were offered to screen, I've seen no evidence of credentials) who the class adore compared to their usual bout.

What irritated me was that while the message IS relevant - "We've got to tear down the walls of conventions with the wrecking ball of creativity" - it's not a fair assessment of what's important in teaching. Yes, we do need to remember to step out the loop in music or any arts, before you can run, you have to be able to walk. The mistake so many make is trying to do something different and creative BEFORE they've mastered the instruments. Teachers are - at school level - an important foundation in the basics; making sure that kids adhere to practice, technique and more practice is a great deal of what being teacher is all about. I'd say it's about time TV shows explained to kids that lessons aren't dull just for the sake of it, it's because when you are learning, elements of practice ARE dull, but they are also extremely important.

Sure, a balance in teaching is required - creativity is about making music interesting so students WANT to learn - but I wasn't seeing any balance here. Sunny simply rejects the importance of finger skills (and his predecessor being compared to an over aggressive army instructor for teaching them) in favor of "feeling" the music. In fairness to the show, it seemed his students were at a fairly high level anyway, but what I question is the message. It's a bit like when a politician centers on the fun issues to get voter support and avoids tackling the nasty ones in fear of being unpopular. So far, this seems to be Sunny to a tee.

The next scene piles on the message that schools just don't "get" teaching like Sunny does. When Sunny finds - to his frustration - that he has to write out a "lesson plan" among other bits of paperwork, he realizes he hasn't time to help his students anymore! How uncool is that? I mean, gone are the days where the teachers didn't have to be legally accountable to how they teach their students. Dear lord, now teachers have paperwork so the school can take every precaution that their teachers are doing right by the students. How heinous of them and POOR Sunny! He was doing such a cool and better job at teaching than the other teachers by avoiding all that boring technique stuff. Now look at him! He's having to sift through mountains of paperwork like an ordinary teacher. How hard can life get on an ex-megastar-come-untrained-teacher?

Yes, paperwork is a pain in every profession. Yes, I've heard many teachers complain about the oodles of wooded pulp they sift through, but the scene plays out more to pity poor Sunny than as a testament to the hard work teachers put into their job.

Okay, beyond the start that plays like an electoral campaign for Andre Benjamin - I mean "Sunny Bridges" - the episode actually picks up rather well. The story splits into several smaller tales, each illustrating the overall push of the narrative with a mix of humor and a dab of cliche (watch out for the long established nerd convention). While the overall plot is nothing new, there are certainly some fresh comic undertones to this episode.

Sunny's menagerie of students are an enjoyable group of misfits. The group is a diverse bunch, ethnically, in social class and in characters. You have the rich, the stupid, the hungry, the efficient and those with, well, serious "attitude." Some of the characters fall on old stereotypes, but overall they are a good collective. They are different enough to keep the scenes active and fresh, yet they don't feel at odds with each other or the audience. Furthermore, they are memorable bunch and after watching just two episodes, I would say that's a testament to a decent set of characters.

The Devil and Li'D

Music Cliches abound as Andre - yes, I mean "Sunny" - comes face to face with the evil "Soul Stack Records," whose evil A&R men are out to seduce him into signing up with their company! When the purer than pure snow Mr. Sunny Bridges refuses, they look towards protege Li'l D as the next in line to signing his soul to the owner of "Soul Stack Records" - the Devil himself. Yes, through a wafer thin veiled allegory, the audience is quite clearly informed that the record industry is the ran by the Devil. Can Andre - I mean "Sunny" (yes it's getting old, but it illustrates the point so well..) - get Li'l D to see the error of his ways and realize that record labels are there simply to make money from the poor unsuspecting, virtuous musician?

The plot itself is as old as it comes. Supplant "evil music industry" for a multitude of other topically "evil" nouns and we have a tale that time has never had the good fortune to forget: the naive child seduced by temptation by the wicked depths of the adult world.

The story is made even more frustrating by this lazy use of the music industry. It's not as if the said scenario is a situation many kids will come face to face with in their lives. In fact, the only person watching the show that this has any relevance to is, well, Andre.

The sad thing is that even as a bit of adult musical satire, it's old hat. I for one am tired of musicians and artists whining about those who fund their careers treating them as a product. News-flash: you are an investment - you ARE a product and a business is there to make money not fund your road to glory for free. You don't see other industries making cartoons about how business makes profit from their work. I'm not sure why artists and musicians think anyone in the audience really wants to hear about how evil the industry is to them, or how these poor artists - whose only crime was to want to become superstars - are trodden on. Please artists, musicians and Andre: give it up. There is more to the music industry than this old chestnut. Move on.

As the episode progresses, one just can't help cry hypocrisy at this show. This story renounces the dangers of fame with Obi-Wan - I mean "Sunny" - explaining the evils of success to his young protege, yet Andre 3000 himself has enjoyed the good fortune of such fame thanks to years of working in the commercial end of the music industry, Furthermore, he's continually reaping from that nugget of fame through the spin offs it has bestowed upon him, to wit; a cartoon produced by himself, named after himself, starring himself. Is it just me who finds this slightly offensive?

It gets worse. While looking for a way out from the clutches of the evil Soul Stack Records contract - a foolish deal for fame and fortune Lil'D never should have signed to according to Sunny - they enlist the help of a money grabbing lawyer character. Despite the shows moral message that people offering gifts on a plate is something to be avoided - especially from that evil, money grabbing music industry - they go to an equally dodgy character to get legal advice. Do two wrongs truly make a right? Apparently they do. So where's the moral again? Don't go with dodgy A&R types, but it's fine to go with dodgy legal types if needs be.

While the story is old and withered, the evil characters are largely dull, done before cliches and the message is simply mixed up, the humor does keep the show rolling. The job fair at the beginning of the story has some wonderful quick fire gags. I particularly loved the robot that can predict your future job. Throw a robot into a show, and you are always guaranteed to make it better.

Also, despite the fact that Li'l D's musical number is meant to be a corporate sell out, I found it rather catchy - a fun bit of disposable music.

Sunny's students once again make for some colorful one liners and the Fonz (or do I again mean "Sunny"?) gives the story a solid anchor, albeit one that feels a little ego inflated. If you can get past the show's musical ego, there's quite a lot of fun stuff in there.

The animation is an oddity. The backgrounds have a rather simple charm. Loose line-work and vivid colors draw the viewer in. The character models have consistency and fit nicely with the feel of the show though their overall animation is somewhat less effective; contemporary in some respects, but the quality overall feels akin to 70's Hanna Barbera animation. It's really an odd mix. On a second watch I found it less irksome and began to be rather taken with the visuals.

To play devil's advocate to my issues with Class of 3000, Sunny isn't entirely Andre. Regardless of Andre's personal feelings about the music industry, Sunny is a disillusioned character who has clearly little love for fame, so in some respects, the fact that Sunny doesn't agree with the benefits of success while Andre clearly does isn't a massive problem. However, this is precisely the messy entanglement when you use an established personality to swing out a show. Sunny IS Andre 3000, particularly to the audience - even if he's genuinely not Andre Benjamin. He looks like him, he sounds like him, he has had a similar career and Andre 3000 has tied himself tightly to the show by having the title coin his stage name. So it's not surprising that the whole concept gives off an awkward vibe of ego and hypocrisy.

Isn't it enough that musicians have the pedestal to carve themselves out as teenage icons without having their perception and persona immortalized as they want it in a kid's show? If pop-stars seemed to live on a different plain of existence to the rest of us, this show isn't going to exactly bring them down to earth. Sunny/Andre is there to foil the record labels, do a teachers job properly and be a solid yet hip father figure to these kids. Is there no end to the man's talents?

As Sunny protege Li'l D proudly announces,"Yes, Sunny [or does he mean Andre?] wins! He ALWAYS wins!"

Yes Li'l D, clearly you're right, given the fact he's now the spotlight character on his own cartoon that derives it's stories and themes from himself and his own musical tastes might imply he does. Go Andre.

Throw together a fairly tight script, stylized visuals and an established celebrity, you'll probably get a hit. I'm sure kids won't be as infuriated by the show as I am. Maybe I've got Mr. Benjamin wrong, but this feels like a wash of ego that has been chipped and refined by some talented storywriters into a show. Be prepared to love and loathe. On first watch you may find you have a mix of the two, but I predict as the series continues you'll find yourself firmly in one of those two camps.

REVIEW: "The Space Sentinels": Filmation's Mythological Trio Return on DVD

[Article written for Toon Zone News - 27.10.06]

Nostalgia trips are a double-edged sword. Putting it slightly more pretentiously, one can only look to the past, with the eyes of the present. Adding even more ostentatiously to that, we can never recapture that magic of our youth -- merely skim the surface of our memories.

To add the icing to this rather pompous-looking cake, I will further suggest that the best we can hope for in any reminiscence is a shallow reflection of our youth’s bright fascia.

My point -- wrapped in trite analogies best suited for the inlay of the very worst glam rock the eighties could offer -- is this: re-watching Space Sentinels for the first time in twenty-five years was going to be an awkward blast from the past.

Space Sentinels, a Filmation wonder from 1977 about three cosmic superheroes protecting the Earth from enemy yadda yadda of the week, was the very jewel of my infancy. I loved the music, the glowing launch tubes, the large floaty computer, and even the obligatory annoying Filmation comic side kick, Mo (or to call him by his less affectionate name – Maintenance Operator).

But I’m no longer a little boy. Now I’m a crotchety old man, tied in a bow made of jaded trials and tragic experiences. So I was very wary as to how these fond child based memories would translate into adulthood, and if, indeed, by watching Space Sentinels now, I would tarnish my memory of “then” - if you see what I mean.

This DVD collection has all 13 episodes of The Space Sentinels as well as 5 episodes of a follow up show called Freedom Force that was a component of the Tarzan and the Super Seven show. Bundled with this are a host of special features aimed to appeal at the nostalgia buff, be he casual or hardcore. Filmation has once again offered a rather packed DVD collective. But how does the show itself fare?

I must say I was uncertain at first. I would suggest it would be best to watch several episodes before making judgment on Space Sentinels.

The gaudy suits and rather bland central characters may put the uninitiated off fairly quickly, but if one looks a little deeper there is some good stuff here - and I can say that without fear of being caught in cloud of nostalgia.

Not that I would pretend there weren’t some successful lumps of sentimentality here to warm my cockles. The music is as good as I remember it; a funky yet muted track that never overwhelms the show, but gives it a distinct and consistent aural sound. Yes, the music came flooding back. The animation isn’t quite as technically gifted as later Filmation shows that dabble in rotorscope and overlay effects, but it does have some nice qualities to it. The super computer Sentinel One is a powerful show icon that has stuck with for over two decades and stands up well today.

His animation is far simpler than I remembered, but works just as well. The design and animation for his computer mechanic, Mo, is also nicely visualized. Mo is certainly one of the better attempts at designing a cartoon’s comic relief. A great deal of attention has been taken in rendering a flexible and visually comic character. In fact, it seems more attention was put towards Mo than the team itself.

The basic premise of Space Sentinels is actually more impressive to an adult as it is to a kid. The three superheroes are based in human mythology as indeed are many of the antagonists. The Space Sentinels Hercules, Astraea and Mercury are all based in Greek or Roman mythology, and, as the story goes, their mythological legend comes from the super powers that the Sentinel home planet has bestowed on them. Since then, they’ve lived on Earth, immortal, protecting it from the evil, thus creating the myth of these three Legends.

As the series progresses we find out that there are Sentinels on many planets with similar powers. We even meet some earlier potential Earth sentinels (who again are born from myth). Overall, the background story makes not just for quite a mature premise, but it is an idea that involves itself in the episode storylines, something which I didn’t recall or expect from the show. It was rare for cartoons in the seventies and eighties to really explore the basic fantasy plot premise - especially for a show that was so short lived.

Another impressive element of the narratives is the diversity of the stories and the focus on the plots to carry the tale rather than the characters. You don’t get any storylines that really focus on any of the lead characters as you do in most animation - then and now. No “Orko feeling sorry for himself, goes wandering off and has to be rescued, thereby learning his lesson trusting strangers” tales.
The heroes interact around the plots, rather than the plots interacting around the heroes. In all honesty, in a kid's cartoon of this ilk, it's rather refreshing.

To my pleasure, the stories actually get better as you progress through the series. After a few episodes, the crew go airborne and into space with their spaceship. This adds an extra level of diversity to these fairly simple stories.

Time to name favorites: “The Prime Sentinel” is a tale set in outer space that gives a great deal of back-story to the show premise. Watch out for some alternate galactic Sentinels. “Morpheus: The Sinister Sentinel” offers a little more back-story to the show and while a little slow, does offer a formidable villain. "Space Giant" offers an enjoyable twist and while the “The World Ship” is a little obvious, it has a gentle wrap scene for the series.

As I mentioned before hand, the downside to the show are the lead characters who are never really explored to any satisfactory level and end up feeling rather shallow. Their backgrounds are never referred to, and their relationships never change. However, quite often there are enough plot turns to keep the story interesting without having to rely on the central characters to carry it. Despite this flaw, one has to also acknowledge the multi-racial quality to the heroes. Such ethnic diversity in lead characters was fairly rare, and it’s good to see a show have a lead cast of different races without really falling foul of cliché. Yes, Mercury does martial arts, but beyond that, the Chinese stereotype ends.

A pity that the heroes have so little life as this really is a problem for the show. There is so little chemistry personality wise. Yes, Mercury is wise cracking, Astraea is a cool lead and Hercules is, well, strong, but it really adds up to very little. Sentinel One probably has the most charisma but is stricken with a horrendous monotone that can get a little tiresome. And with no supporting cast beyond Mo and Sentinel One, the cast feels very insular and slightly claustrophobic – immortal life in a spaceship at the bottom of a volcano with Hercules’ muscles, Mercury’s painful jokes and Mo’s painful pratfalls? Hell. True hell.

Nevertheless, The Space Sentinels succeeds more often than it fails. Get past the rather uninteresting heroes, and the stories are rather good and the actual finish is solidly produced. Space Sentinels offers thirteen episodes that are varied in storyline yet consistent in production.

Special features? An odd mix. You’ll find the scripts as a DVD ROM extra – very nice for the hardcore follower. There is also some interesting special footage. There is an animated presentation pilot for the series in its earliest form: The Young Sentinels. It makes for a fairly interesting to watch, particularly in context as a series pitch. More curious is a talent test pilot for the proposed Young Sentinels life action series. I'd say it's definitely worth a watch. It’s played out well and a curiosity in itself.

For the casual buyer, there are some blink-and-you’ll-miss-em documentaries (where the opening and closing sequence seems longer than the interviews) with producer Lou Schemimer, a host of writers and some of the art crew. There really isn’t much to be said about these interviews. They are fun and friendly, but won’t offer any deep insight for anyone beyond a casual viewer.

There is a special “The Magic of Filmation” which is an interesting if slightly indulgent look at the studio behind the show. This is actually quite fascinating, particularly into the creation of the studio. These guys did have some true chutzpah. It’s around thirty minutes in length and has interviews with a variety of Filmation staff members from throughout its history.

The final bonus to this DVD - and I struggle to use the word “bonus” in this case - is the five episodes of Freedom Force, an animated cartoon made a year or so later that also stars Hercules. Well, it stars Hercules' model sheet. His character and voice are rather different. For this reason alone, this DVD has been given a special feature that is about as special as finding a dead fly in one’s soup.

Freedom Force follows the Space Sentinels premise of adapting mythological characters into contemporary animated stories. Unfortunately, unlike Space Sentinels, this has no charm and stories that flow as gracefully as a gangster in concrete boots. It’s a tedious and arbitrary affair. None of the characters really have any relationship to each other, the designs and models are extremely lack luster and really this is a show to watch when drunk, or preferably, when passed out. There are no redeeming features to Freedom Force. Music is average, the voices are a little too hammy and overall it’s the sort of production that blights Formation’s reputation. The only good thing I can say about it is that like Space Sentinels, it goes for ethnic diversity with a range of heroes from different continents. While this is a commendable ideology, it doesn’t make watching it any more exciting that paint drying.

The DVD package is a mix. The inlay is great; it has descriptions for every episode with a little piece of trivia for each. The interactive menus are well presented, if a little sluggish in between episode switches and the overall mix of special features is pleasant though not horrendously inspired. The real let down is the disks themselves - no pictures on these disks. Simply blank faced double sided DVDs. Not a major issue, but visually a little disappointing upon opening.

For all its faults, The Space Sentinels actually lives up to and beyond the nostalgia trip. Sure, it’s not as exciting as it was when I was a kid, but it’s not really produced for adults. That being said, I have more respect for it as an adult, being a little more aware of its mythological roots and appreciating the rather refreshingly plotted pulp action that went over my head as a kid. The characters may be a little drab, but the stories are diverse and interesting enough to mitigate this flaw.

It’s a DVD that shows you some of the best - and worst - of Filmation. Space Sentinels is unique and worth a look if you are into nostalgia trips or curious about kid cartoons of the seventies. Freedom Force is for the hardcore enthusiasts only, and if you are one of those fellows, maybe you should get out more. Come on, guys, it’s bad. Best to remember Freedom Force is merely a bonus, and we can’t get too grumpy over bonus features, can we?

Just remember: thirteen episodes of good to five episodes of bad, still makes this a good DVD collection. I’m glad that Space Sentinels hasn’t let me - or that five-year-old kid that lurks within - down in any way. Good solid animated kid’s fiction - recommended.

REVIEW: Edible "Oedipus": Classic Animated Short Comes to DVD

[Article written for Toon Zone News - 08.10.06]

Destiny is a funny old thing. It can bring a fountain of joy, a shower of love, a well of happiness, a bucket of mirth.... and so forth.

Of course, destiny can equally damn you to murder your father, marry your mother, endure a sister as your daughter and once again - and so forth. Such outcomes - to my knowledge - are fairly rare.

If we go one step further, such terrible circumstances being combined into one man’s singular destiny are rarer still. So you can’t help but feel a slight twinge of pity for any poor clod that pulls that short a straw.

You can’t help but pity the life of one such poor clod - Oedipus.

Especially when he’s made of potato.

Yes, possibly one of the most tragic myths this world has heard has been respectful condensed into an eight minute mini-epic starring a potato, a piece of broccoli and Billy Dee Williams.

It must have been an honor for Mr. Dee Williams – or “Lando Calrissian” as he’s known to his friends - to play alongside such a fabled and legendary vegetable.

I sincerely hope his role as “unnamed barman number one” thrusts his career back into the limelight. It would be a tragedy if he was outshined by a cast of organic food.

Unfortunately for Mr. Dee Williams, destiny has spoken and indeed in this case, the edible cast is magnificent.

Oedipus is a charming and humorous animated short film by animation director John Wishnow. It takes the classic Greek myth of Oedipus Rex and adapts it cinematically using the aforementioned plethora of vegetables.

For those who fell asleep during history lessons, let me recap in a time shorter than it takes to tell a nourishing mini epic. Try not to fall asleep for a second time.

Oedipus is the son of the King and Queen of Thebes. Upon his father’s discovery that his child was prophesized to kill him and marry his mother, the Queen, Oedipus was sent away to be killed. Through unforeseen circumstance, the boy wasn’t murdered as his parents intended and grew up oblivious to his predicted destiny. Years later, Oedipus meets his father on the road to Thebes and thereby starts the tragic prophecy of a future King who is destined to marry his mother...

The film is a wry jab at Hollywood’s past mythical epics, referencing the likes of “Ben Hur” for immediate comparison. It does this by creating such a grandiose production on an intentionally minimal scale – and you can’t get any more minimal than inanimate foodstuff.

It furthers its Hollywood epical comparisons by employing familiar cinematic techniques with a mocking smile The opening action scene between the potato Oedipus and a stub of Broccoli otherwise known as Laius, his father and King of Thebes, is a very slick and well paced battle. Indeed, if it wasn’t for the consumable nature of the movie’s actors, one could take such direction as seriously as any epic. The angles, direction, postures and action scream “legitimate fight scene” which is only undermined by the fact you are watching two vegetables going at it with kitchen utensils.

As the film moves on, we have a bar scene that resonates with a hundred other similar bar scenes you’ll have encountered on your cinematic journey. Only difference is this one - once again - is populated by vegetables. It’s this dichotomy between absurdity and straight faced direction that makes this such a pleasure to watch; it doesn’t need to try and be funny - it is in its very essence - funny.

You only have to watch the sex scene between Oedipus and his mother, Jocasta - a potato and a tomato - played out in typical Hollywood style - to see how the blend of the preposterous and the creepy can only result in bemused amusement.

There are some nice little pieces of humor injected into the dialogue as well. Some little jabs at just how silly the tale is, particularly how neither mother nor son nor father truly connect the dots in their relationship until it’s too late. However, it is the visuals which tell the story and support the humor rather than the sporadic dialogue.

The production values are very impressive. The character movements are superbly handled and the aforementioned opening battle is testament to this. The colors are rich and welcoming. Vibrant blues, warm golds and regal purples all add to this visually unusual experience and help enforce the homage to classical movie epic. The score cannot be faulted either, coating the film with an ambience of magnificence and majestic energy.

Room for a grumble? There is always room for a grumble, dear reader, though there are few to be found here. In fairness, being just eight minutes long does leave little time to find fault. There is on particular shot I have a small grievance with – Oedipus’ return to Thebes. The entrance shot to the city mimics some of the Hollywood low angle wide shots you see in classic films, with the immediate foreground falling out of focus in favor of the lead character in the far distance. The shot works so far as the narrative flows, but visually it betrays the size of the characters. The out of focus foreground props look miniaturized and while we are dealing with a cast of small vegetables, the illusion of a larger than life scale is never lost barring this one shot. It’s the only reminder of how tiny these lumps of food are.

Beyond that, one might argue the scene in the bar is a little long in relation to the film as a whole and I must admit I found Oedipus’ classical “wreath erection” is a little gratuitous in a film where the visual humor remains fairly subtle - beyond it being filled with a host of stars you probably slipped off your dinner plate and into the dog’s maul the night before. All in all, simply minor niggles.

If you have the spare change to buy the DVD, you’ll find they’ve done their best make it a worthwhile purchase. The Behind the Scenes documentary is edited together with the same slick finish as the movie and offers an engaging visual insight into the work behind this mini epic.

The storyboards are also present on the DVD and edited into film sequence. This is a must watch for any budding director or storyboard artist. Even if you aren’t into film, they are certainly worth a playback as they are beautifully rendered. And being that Oedipus is just an 8 minute mini film, it’s hardly going to take up too much time.

The box and disk are beautifully illustrated though the best part of the whole package is the “action play sets” depicted on the back. They are a wonderful little slight at the crassness of tie-in film merchandise. If you are lucky enough to be one of the first 1000 orders, you get a 35mm piece of film strip. Nice.

It is a fairly pricey DVD for its short contents, but it is well packaged and the film is an internationally award winning piece of animation. The DVD is digitally remastered in High Definition and it does look beautiful on screen.

Yes, it is short. Yes, it stars vegetables. But it does have Billy Dee Williams and in all fairness, his smooth, rich voice does add to the film. I’m glad Mr. Dee Williams took on the challenge. Having to play alongside an internationally award winning mythical vegetable must have taken a lot of courage.

Furthermore, not only does it look impressive on your shelf, its makes for a great way to break the ice at parties, being a great source of amusement and exclamation for all.
Just remember: while some vegetables are considered aphrodisiacs, a film that has a vegetable having sex with their mother, is not. Avoid playing this film on any romantic first dates.

Oedipus is a great little film that any serious animation buffs would be proud to have on their shelf. It is a pricey buy given its short contents but a worthy investment all the same. Look out for the Potato’s next role. Indeed, keep ‘em peeled.

REVIEW: Flash" Back: Filmation's Best Returns to DVD

[Article written for Toon Zone News: 07-26-2006]

With little reverence to thirty years of journalistic tradition, I will not begin this review on The New Adventures of Flash Gordon with any attempt to slip in the famous shill cry of “Flash! Ahhhhh.” [Real elegant. -Ed]

For those as vaguely acquainted with Flash Gordon as the mainstream media, a little background seems appropriate. No matter the opinion of pub culture, the campy, creative and oh-so-colorful Dino De Laurentiis movie of 1980 starring Sam J. Jones, Max Von Sydow and most infamously, Brian Blessed, was not the first version of our blonde hero.

Flash Gordon came to life as a news strip in 1934 thanks to the creative juices of artist Alex Raymond. Flash is an American Polo player and athlete who, along with Dale Arden and the (at first) evil scientist Doctor Hans Zarkov, travel to planet Mongo to fight the imperious forces of Ming the Merciless.

The news strip spawned movie serials, TV shows, radio plays, books and, of course, even more news strips, all of which propelled space adventurer Flash Gordon through many battles with the evil minions of Ming.

Not only did the concept endure, but it was a major influence on contemporary science fiction, with George Lucas citing Gordon as inspiration for the style of Star Wars.

In 1979, Flash Gordon missed becoming a live action TV film by around $30 million. Too expensive to make with actors, Lou Scheimer instead moved towards animation. The end result was an acclaimed feature-length cartoon that was then edited to form the first chapters of the animated serial The New Adventures of Flash Gordon. Its Saturday morning run created a new generation of Flash Gordon fans.

The New Adventures of Flash Gordon was made at Filmation studios, home of the likes of Tarzan, Space Sentinels and, more famously, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. The show was a two-season affair; the first season was a half-hour weekly serial that played faithfully to the original news strip, the second broke each episode into two parts and moved away from Raymond’s vision to create a more child-friendly format.

There is a lot to be said for this version of Flash Gordon—both as a faithful translation of Raymond’s news strip and as an animated venture. Naturally by today’s standards, the animation does lack pace and versatility, but the show has a lovely blend of such three-dimensional techniques as rotoscoping, hand-painted stop animation footage and moiré effects (the three-dimensional laced energy backgrounds many will remember from He-Man and She-Ra). The combination of colorful backdrops, rotoscoped human movement and rolling vehicles helps create a good Gordon ambience, and atmosphere was a vital ingredient for this cartoon as a great deal had been invested into making it feel like the original strip. As with the news strip, each episode has cliffhangers. Visually, character, vehicle and costume designs mimic the original artwork. On top of this, a lavish score reminiscent of 30s cinema is laced into the show.

So while the animation is indeed slower and less ambitious than that of the show's predecessors and successors, it fits the title perfectly. Much of the original artwork includes realistic proportions and static tableaux, turning the limited animation into something of an advantage. The blend of gentle rotoscoping, colorful geography and careful attention to aesthetics makes this still one of the most authentic adaptations of the original strip.

In plot, too, the first season hews very close to the illustrated tales, significantly raising the standard of the show. “A Planet in Peril,” “Blue Magic” and my favorite from the original news strip, “Tournament of Death,” are some of my personal recommendations from season one. Favorites aside, I don’t feel there is a single episode of the first season that truly lacks luster. The consistency of pacing and quality atmosphere throughout this first season is extremely strong. While all the character designs stay close to the original Raymond strip, one should take special note of the women. In infamous Flash Gordon style, the animated heroines and villainesses of Mongo are faithfully alluring.

The voice casting carries some of Filmation's standard crew: Robert “Tarzan” Ridgely as Flash, Melendy “She-Ra” Britt as Princess Aura, and of course the magical Alan Oppenheimer as Ming the Merciless, a clear precursor to Alan’s later infamous role as Skeletor in He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. The cast—as in most Filmation cartoons—do a variety of voice roles and do a fine job in capturing the spirit of Flash Gordon.

With a mix of faithful stories, solid acting and colorful visuals, Flash Gordon’s first season is very much a family affair—far more so than the second. For a Saturday morning cartoon, it’s surprising how directly these early episodes confront death—though it is the poor minor players who suffer. The poor Hawkmen soldiers seem to get on particularly poorly vis-a-vis constant disintegration.

Yes, the show does rely heavily on stock footage. Be prepared to see reuse of body movements, action scenes and vehicles. I find spotting these instances rather endearing.
Stock footage was also a key element of the old film and television serials, so the budgetary constraint on the animation is in fact accurate. But it is possible to have too much of a bad thing, which brings us to Flash Gordon's second season.

The second season loosened its ties to the original adventures in a play for the children’s market. Afraid another season-long story arc, with week-long gaps between episodes, was economic suicide in an age of syndication and decreasing attention spans, the studio opted for self-contained adventures instead. Episodes shrank in length to two 11-minute segments each, and budgets also dwindled. Occasional repeated footage become reuse of locations and story elements from the first season. As in He-Man and others, this is part of that ineffable Filmation charm, but it does erode the quality of the overall production.

To add insult to injury, season two marks the arrival of a new character. In a ploy used many times before and since, the studio introduced a quirky beast for gratuitous comic relief, named Gremlin. Yes, if the cartoon capers of Scrappy Doo, Godzooky and Orko weren’t enough to fossilize your funny bone and wear out the fast forward button on your remote, Gremlin is here to further the mission to madden. In some ways, Gremlin is the worst of all his kin. At least Scrappy was a dog like Scooby, Godzooky was a dinosaur like Godzilla, and Orko was hardly out of place in a world of spells, magic and blue megalomaniacs who drew the short straw when it came to both fashion and dermatological aesthetics. But Gremlin is not even a Gremlin. He’s a pink, “cute” baby dragon. Sure, Mongo had some weird beasts, some resembling dragons. However, none that I recall were pink, squeaky and astoundingly annoying.

To make things worse, Gremlin gets a firm spotlight in nearly every episode of the second season, a real problem for a cartoon based on a well-established story. For fifty-odd years Flash Gordon had got on fine without a pink dragon, particularly one so infuriatingly springy.

Despite the new format, the pink dragon and the cheaper production values, it is possible to enjoy season two on a simplistic level. Season one is far superior, but in a way, the second season offers a glance at what happens after an epic. In cartoons, it’s rare to even get to the end of an epic before cancellation can wield its unyielding axe. With The New Adventures of Flash Gordon we get more rather than less.

Season one covered much of Raymond’s original concepts and had a great finale. Season two is a lighter affair—aimed at a younger audience—but it has a friendly vibe that is lacking from season one. Season one never stops; it’s non stop action followed by a cliffhanger followed by non-stop action. Sometimes you just wish our heroes get a break from the risks and danger. Well season two offers the audience a far more settled Mongo. Sure, there are 11 minute disasters on occasions, but it’s a fight taken on by a community settled in Arboria rather than a group of fleeing rebels.

I certainly wouldn’t pretend season two is brilliant—or even above average. Its budget is decidedly poor, the inclusion of Gremlin remains intrusive and of course, some of the episodes are insultingly childish. “Micro Menace” is the biggest mess, “Flash Back” strays too far from the source material and “Sir Gremlin” starts well but ends up as a substandard version of season one’s “Blue Magic.” But to counter that, there is a lot of fun to be found in “Gremlin’s Finest Hour,” “The Freedom Balloon” and “Royal Wedding.” Don’t expect any of the stories to stand out—especially compared to season one, but there is a childish simplicity to them that I found rather endearing and it is a chance to see our heroes for just a little longer. Take season two as a bonus; just don’t think too hard about it.

The DVD itself is a treat. It's a beautifully packaged with a nice set of four picture disks. Even the simplest features are very in-depth. The character profiles offer images and model sheets along with a scrolling biography for pretty much the entire cast of the series.

The “Blasting off with Flash Gordon” documentary is interesting enough, offering commentary from a variety of sources. There is some rather blatant promoting going on in this segment, but it doesn’t get in the way too much.

If you are an art fan, there are some nice storyboard-to-footage comparisons for several stock moments. There is also a further set of storyboards as DVD ROM extras as well as scripts and series bible in easy to access PDF format.

On top of all that, there are three commentaries. The season one commentary lands on the first episode and has Executive Producer Lou Scheimer and Assistant Animator Darrel MacNeil. It’s not quite as insightful as I hoped. Much of the background that they explain in this episode is in the DVD documentary. While there are some slightly more in-depth explanations of some of the animated processes used at Filmation, it’s a fairly dry affair.

The second and third commentaries are from season two and are unfortunately done by episode rather than show—meaning each commentary is just eleven minutes long! Writers Tim Ruegger and Michael Reeves explain the details behind the stories for “Sir Gremlin” and “Gremlin’s Finest Hour” respectively. Unfortunately, there isn’t a great deal to be said about season two episodes. They are okay to watch, but the stories are not very complex and often have so little to do with the original Flash Gordon characters that there is very little to talk about. The commentaries as a whole are a little disappointing, but nevertheless there are little tidbits in the three episodes you won’t find on the documentary.

And if all those features weren’t enough to tickle you pink as a Gremlin, there is a bonus feature: episode one of Defenders of the Earth! It's a surprising addition to the set. Yes, the Defenders are lead by an older Flash Gordon, but he’s a very different one to the character presented in The New Adventures of Flash Gordon or the Raymond strips themselves. In fact—shocking as this may be—Defenders of the Earth is even less faithful to Flash Gordon than season two of The New Adventures of Flash Gordon. It even goes so far as to kill Flash’s wife (which we presume is an unnamed Dale Arden) and takes him away from Mongo entirely! It is, however, a fairly faithful slug of eighties cartoon formula. You have your silly comic “Gremlin” variant, the terrible electric eighties score, generic models and a terrible set of protégé children that are attached to the team.

Defenders of the Earth is not nearly as authentic to Raymond’s Flash Gordon, as New Adventures, but some may find it a bit of retro fun and it does make season two of New Adventures look classy in comparison.

Overall this is a great set. Even the DVD’s inlay has individual episode synopsis—and the set even comes with some individual collector cards, just to win over those who are for some reason, determined to keep their money in their wallet.

The stories hold up well, the DVD is neatly packaged and showered with special features that cover every aspect of the show. The quality of the episodes is quite palatable, international fans will be pleased to hear that some of the odd episode coloration seems to have been lost on this region one set.

Be it an introduction into the authentic world of Flash Gordon, a curious glance at a different version of the hero, or simply a worthy addition to a Flash fan’s collection, this is a virtually faultless product that has been put together with thought and care.

In the words of the great Brian Blessed (or was it Vultan? I can never distinguish the two)—“Gordon’s alive!” If you wanted proof, you could fare no better than this great DVD set of Filmation’s best.