Obscure but brilliant cartoons
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- Squigsquasher
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Obscure but brilliant cartoons
So in an age where stunted rainbow horses and CGI Norwegian princesses have dominated the Western animation scene and the Animation Age Ghetto still exists, I thought we should have a thread where we discuss some of our favourite lesser-known Western cartoons- the buried gems that fade into obscurity, overshadowed by the bigger titles.
For me, one of my favourites was Oban: Star Racers. This is sort of cheating as it really stretches the "Is it anime?" question due to being a collaberative effort between a French and Japanese studio, but it is definitely obscue. It's an interesting show revolving around a racing tournament played across a handful of worlds, using high-speed hovering craft- think pod racers but bigger and more heavily armed. The prize is a single wish- anything you could possibly imagine. It follows a girl called Eva, who is entering the race to avenge her mother, who died in a race against one of the contestants, a mysterious shape-shifting creature named Spirit. Her father and head of the human team, Don Wei, would never allow her to enter something as dangrous as the race, and as such she is going under the false name of Molly. Throughout the series she makes friends, enemies, and begins to uncover the truth about her mother's death.
It's a surprisingly deep show, with a very involved plot and fleshed-out world, with multiple alien races and characters, all of whom have their own agendas. Eva/Molly herself is a very likeble protagonist and she gets decent development throughout the show. It's actually very mature and well-written despite being ostensibly a kid's show.
As I mentioned, it was a joint venture between a French and Japanese studio. The art is definitely anime-styled but with a very definite Western flair, and overall it works really well- it looks almost Gainax with its saturated but flat colours, stylized designs and dynamic movement. The race scenes are predominantly CGI, but it's exceedingly well implemented and never feels out of place. I'd say that along with Avatar it's one of the best animated Western cartoon series I've ever seen.
Overall I'd recommend it to just about anyone- it's fun, fast paced and genuinely intriguing.
So anyway. What are your favourite buried treasures?
For me, one of my favourites was Oban: Star Racers. This is sort of cheating as it really stretches the "Is it anime?" question due to being a collaberative effort between a French and Japanese studio, but it is definitely obscue. It's an interesting show revolving around a racing tournament played across a handful of worlds, using high-speed hovering craft- think pod racers but bigger and more heavily armed. The prize is a single wish- anything you could possibly imagine. It follows a girl called Eva, who is entering the race to avenge her mother, who died in a race against one of the contestants, a mysterious shape-shifting creature named Spirit. Her father and head of the human team, Don Wei, would never allow her to enter something as dangrous as the race, and as such she is going under the false name of Molly. Throughout the series she makes friends, enemies, and begins to uncover the truth about her mother's death.
It's a surprisingly deep show, with a very involved plot and fleshed-out world, with multiple alien races and characters, all of whom have their own agendas. Eva/Molly herself is a very likeble protagonist and she gets decent development throughout the show. It's actually very mature and well-written despite being ostensibly a kid's show.
As I mentioned, it was a joint venture between a French and Japanese studio. The art is definitely anime-styled but with a very definite Western flair, and overall it works really well- it looks almost Gainax with its saturated but flat colours, stylized designs and dynamic movement. The race scenes are predominantly CGI, but it's exceedingly well implemented and never feels out of place. I'd say that along with Avatar it's one of the best animated Western cartoon series I've ever seen.
Overall I'd recommend it to just about anyone- it's fun, fast paced and genuinely intriguing.
So anyway. What are your favourite buried treasures?
Here lies Squigsquasher.
2013-2017.
2013-2017.
The only reason I know of Oban: Star Racers was because it aired on Toon Disney (in the states)
back in the mid-00's. I watched it as a teenager. Granted I only saw a few episodes but it looked like crap it me.
Seems like I was a bit to old for the show when I first saw it.
-----------
I guess my pick would be the pilot for 'The Power Puff Girls' known as The Whoopass girls
at the time: http://youtu.be/APnZCdiStKI
back in the mid-00's. I watched it as a teenager. Granted I only saw a few episodes but it looked like crap it me.
Seems like I was a bit to old for the show when I first saw it.
-----------
I guess my pick would be the pilot for 'The Power Puff Girls' known as The Whoopass girls
at the time: http://youtu.be/APnZCdiStKI
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Does Aeon Flux count? That's one of my favorite TV shows/animations of all time.
I was reading an interview with it's creator, Peter Chung, and he mentioned Koji Morimoto, Philipp Hirsch and Igor Kovalyov. Morimoto does anime so I'll just write about the other two.
I think Philipp Hirsch has only done this one short called In that features both animation and live action filmmaking. It's weird and I think I'll just let Chung speak for it. "To write a book report on "what was this about and why I liked it" would be both useless and spoiling the experience. The film cannot be enjoyed unless you discard all preconceptions based on having seen other films in your past. The animation, design, sound and direction are all perfectly realized. See it."
He cut out the animated bits to make the short film Inside. I didn't really see the point of it.
Igor Kovalyov did some work for Klasky Csupo, including Aaahh Real Monsters, Rugrats and Duckman. Those don't do him much justice though (haven't seen Duckman). It's Kovalyov's independent short films that are brilliant. Hen, His Wife, Andrei Svislotsky, Bird in the Window, Flying Nansen and Milch. The animation style is unique and the stuff that's going on in them is weird. They seem to amount to simple plots with a unique style, but I'll have to re-watch them and spend time dissecting them.
Here's what Chung had to say about Kovalyov: "Forget that he co-directed the Rugrats movie. I first saw "Hen, His Wife" at the Ottawa Animation Festival in 1990 and couldn't believe what I was seeing. "Andrei Svislotsky" and "Milch" are equally astonishing. His films are oblique yet precise; poignant, yet humorous; steeped in tradition, yet utterly modern; culturally specific, yet universal; grotesque, yet beautiful. And he makes the best mouth noises of any animator I've ever worked with. "
Link to the interview: [url]http://monican-spies.livejournal.com/44607.html[/url]
I think Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space is also worth mentioning. It was made in Japan and there's no other dub for it, but the style of animation is unlike any other anime that I know of. There might be some old anime that features the same style and design as Felix the Cat, which is the best comparison I can come up with for Tamala off the top of my head. Despite the classic old timey style, the subject matter is pretty heavy and there's a lot of stuff that happens on-screen that is violent and inappropriate for kids and stuff. It's magnificent. There's this weird conspiracy that spans centuries that involve this group known as The Minverva Cult that the public knows as Catty & Co. There's also this 3D animation dimension that I don't want to talk about anymore because spoilers. Just watch it.
Kovalyov and Hirsch's shorts can be found on YouTube and you can probably find Tamala on the internet to stream or torrent it, like I did.
Edit: Some pics.
In (NSFW)
Hen, His Wife
Tamala 2010
I was reading an interview with it's creator, Peter Chung, and he mentioned Koji Morimoto, Philipp Hirsch and Igor Kovalyov. Morimoto does anime so I'll just write about the other two.
I think Philipp Hirsch has only done this one short called In that features both animation and live action filmmaking. It's weird and I think I'll just let Chung speak for it. "To write a book report on "what was this about and why I liked it" would be both useless and spoiling the experience. The film cannot be enjoyed unless you discard all preconceptions based on having seen other films in your past. The animation, design, sound and direction are all perfectly realized. See it."
He cut out the animated bits to make the short film Inside. I didn't really see the point of it.
Igor Kovalyov did some work for Klasky Csupo, including Aaahh Real Monsters, Rugrats and Duckman. Those don't do him much justice though (haven't seen Duckman). It's Kovalyov's independent short films that are brilliant. Hen, His Wife, Andrei Svislotsky, Bird in the Window, Flying Nansen and Milch. The animation style is unique and the stuff that's going on in them is weird. They seem to amount to simple plots with a unique style, but I'll have to re-watch them and spend time dissecting them.
Here's what Chung had to say about Kovalyov: "Forget that he co-directed the Rugrats movie. I first saw "Hen, His Wife" at the Ottawa Animation Festival in 1990 and couldn't believe what I was seeing. "Andrei Svislotsky" and "Milch" are equally astonishing. His films are oblique yet precise; poignant, yet humorous; steeped in tradition, yet utterly modern; culturally specific, yet universal; grotesque, yet beautiful. And he makes the best mouth noises of any animator I've ever worked with. "
Link to the interview: [url]http://monican-spies.livejournal.com/44607.html[/url]
I think Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space is also worth mentioning. It was made in Japan and there's no other dub for it, but the style of animation is unlike any other anime that I know of. There might be some old anime that features the same style and design as Felix the Cat, which is the best comparison I can come up with for Tamala off the top of my head. Despite the classic old timey style, the subject matter is pretty heavy and there's a lot of stuff that happens on-screen that is violent and inappropriate for kids and stuff. It's magnificent. There's this weird conspiracy that spans centuries that involve this group known as The Minverva Cult that the public knows as Catty & Co. There's also this 3D animation dimension that I don't want to talk about anymore because spoilers. Just watch it.
Kovalyov and Hirsch's shorts can be found on YouTube and you can probably find Tamala on the internet to stream or torrent it, like I did.
Edit: Some pics.
In (NSFW)
SPOILER: Show
Hen, His Wife
SPOILER: Show
Tamala 2010
SPOILER: Show
Last edited by StarShaper7 on Tue Jun 03, 2014 11:19 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Bump in the Night:
http://youtu.be/bEaC8qjV30c
Mr. Bumpy, Squishy, Molly Coddle.
I was 3 and watched this show on tapes that dad recorded for me.
I never believed in monsters because of this, instead I got the fear of robots.
http://youtu.be/bEaC8qjV30c
Mr. Bumpy, Squishy, Molly Coddle.
I was 3 and watched this show on tapes that dad recorded for me.
I never believed in monsters because of this, instead I got the fear of robots.
"Winds in the east, Mist coming in, Like something is brewing, About to begin. Can't put my finger on, What lies in store, But, I feel what's to happen, All happened before..." From Mary Poppins
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"For Love and Justice, I'm the pretty sailor suited soldier, Sailor Moon! In the name of the Moon, I will punish you!" Sailor Moon
"Anta Baka?!" Asuka Langley Soryu
"We fall in love, our hearts may break, we lose sleep longing for someone, but that's how we know we're alive." Usagi Tsukino from the Sailor Moon S movie.
"I'm not a nerd, I'm a specialist!!" Sousuke Sagara from Full Metal Panic.
"Trying to make sense of what a cat does is like trying to make sense of what Chuckman posts." - Nuke-kun
http://www.silvermillenniumfalcon.com
Obscure? Brilliant? Cartoon? well you gotta watch this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_zbeX6yoRI
Also don't even get me started on Road Rovers holy shit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_w47z99R10
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_zbeX6yoRI
Also don't even get me started on Road Rovers holy shit
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_w47z99R10
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^Pfft, a Toonami show? C'mon man, obscure, at least talk about the 1st IGPX.
Now Action Man however...
Early CGI show about a hero, whose an extreme sports jock, adrenaline-junky. So of course, his super power is MATH! Slightly better than it sounds.
... I also somewhat suspect it was the impetus for Max Steel, which is like a merging of it and Spiderman Unlimited's suit. And James Bond if he was a douche 24/7.
Also, NASCAR show, that I suspect was the impetus for IGPX 2.0
But if I'm going for a show that I'd truly call brilliant... in a kitsch sense, anyway:
Now Action Man however...
Early CGI show about a hero, whose an extreme sports jock, adrenaline-junky. So of course, his super power is MATH! Slightly better than it sounds.
... I also somewhat suspect it was the impetus for Max Steel, which is like a merging of it and Spiderman Unlimited's suit. And James Bond if he was a douche 24/7.
Also, NASCAR show, that I suspect was the impetus for IGPX 2.0
But if I'm going for a show that I'd truly call brilliant... in a kitsch sense, anyway:
SPOILER: Show
"Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing." - 1 Thessalonians 5:11
"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
"God is in his Heaven, and free men walk upon the Earth" - Rev. Robert Sirico, President of the Acton Institute
"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." -Ralph Waldo Emerson
"God is in his Heaven, and free men walk upon the Earth" - Rev. Robert Sirico, President of the Acton Institute
Amazing 10/10 show that has only gotten funnier as I've got older, but I'm not sure if it's obscure. It's pretty cult lately.
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Alaska Slim wrote:
Now Action Man however...
Early CGI show about a hero, whose an extreme sports jock, adrenaline-junky. So of course, his super power is MATH! Slightly better than it sounds.
I always thought Action Man was total crap, even as a kid.
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She's so cute. Like crazy cute. Like "She's giving me the diabetus" cute. - Gendo'sPapa
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Hell yeah, Aeon Flux! The series deserved so much more than a crappy live-action film that completely destroyed any chance of anyone picking it up outside of finding the original animated series again.
I'd also recommend the short episode Matriculated that Chung did for The Animatrix (hell, I liked quite a lot of the other Animatrix shorts, but Matriculated stands out to me the most). It's got a very similar art style to Aeon Flux, but it's got the benefit of several more years of animation advancement and CGI, becoming something akin to a more evolved and developed version of the AF art.
Too bad Chung hasn't really done anything in a similar vein for ages.
E̱͡v͈̙e͔̰̳͙r̞͍y͏̱̲̭͎̪ṱ͙̣̗̱͠h̰̰i͙n̶̮̟̳͍͍̫͓g̩ ̠͈en̶̖̹̪d̸̙̦͙̜͕͍̞s̸̰.̳̙̺̟̻̀
I always thought I might be bad
Now I know that it's true
Because I think you're so good
And I'm nothing like you
I always thought I might be bad
Now I know that it's true
Because I think you're so good
And I'm nothing like you
Alaska Slim wrote:Now Action Man however...
Early CGI show about a hero, whose an extreme sports jock, adrenaline-junky. So of course, his super power is MATH! Slightly better than it sounds.
Action Man itself was a UK toy line dating back to the 60's, springing from GI Joe. Hell I remember that show from when I was a kid. So the name is well known here, not so much for that show though.
- Squigsquasher
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Yeah, the Action Man toyline is (or was) a pretty deep-rooted part of my and many a British kid's childhood. I remember there being an animated cartoon at one point, although it was in 2D not CGI. It was also not very good.
Toyline was the bee's knees though. Or at least it was for 6-year-old me.
Toyline was the bee's knees though. Or at least it was for 6-year-old me.
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- KingXanaduu
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HOLY FREAKING COW!! I HAVEN'T SEEN THIS IN YEARS! I almost didn't believe it was a real cartoon. Ah, the memories come flooding back.
Man, Jim Cummings was the poster voice of the 80s and 90s....those where the glory days of animation.
"You're na�ve, Cecil. Even knowing betrayal and despair, you would depend on the whims of others?" - Golbez
---------------------------------------
Sephiroth: "Do you miss the Light?"
Golbez: "Hmph...I merely have duties to fulfill."
Sephiroth: "Too close to the brightness, and you may get scorched."
Golbz:.............
Golbez: Your loss can strengthen you.
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---------------------------------------
Sephiroth: "Do you miss the Light?"
Golbez: "Hmph...I merely have duties to fulfill."
Sephiroth: "Too close to the brightness, and you may get scorched."
Golbz:.............
Golbez: Your loss can strengthen you.
"NGE Shinji is broken, Manga Shinji is an asshole, Rebuild Shinji is an idiot. Which is best? Uh, can I get some other options? All of these really suck." -Bagheera
Yeah me too, felt the same way about max steel.
As for good obscure cartoons, well there's always this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OxPyN6IK1tM
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- StarShaper7
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^ Yeah, that was brilliant.
I would really like to see him make more stuff. If not animation, then he could always do a comic. Getting a comic book instead of an animated film would be better than nothing. But damn do I really want him to make more obscure, brilliant cartoons!
The Raisins episode was pretty great. The whole series was pretty great too. Loved the opening by Abandoned Pools. I really wanted it to continue!
I would really like to see him make more stuff. If not animation, then he could always do a comic. Getting a comic book instead of an animated film would be better than nothing. But damn do I really want him to make more obscure, brilliant cartoons!
The Raisins episode was pretty great. The whole series was pretty great too. Loved the opening by Abandoned Pools. I really wanted it to continue!
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