YOWZA, YOWZA, YOWZA!! as Richie Cunningham says. Rekka Dragon here. And this is my first Sailor Moon themed blog under my new username. But, before we get started, I got some good news and some bad news. The good news is today is Sailor Moon's birthday (June 30th). I know it sounds silly to celebrate a birthday for a fictional character but it's good to celebrate the birthday of the very character who went through a lot for the past several years. Speaking of which, which leads to the bad news. We were hoping for a new Sailor Moon anime this summer, but it ended up delayed and we have to wait until next year during wintertime. That's just great and we were looking forward for Sailor Moon's return to the states. Toei, I am watching you. Whatever trick you are pulling, it will not work. You can't keep her grounded in Japan forever. We were looking forward for this and you are not going to take it away from us, just like you did before. NOT...COOL!!! Anyway, this new Sailor Moon blog will be about the one thing that is more awesome than one universe alone. I am, of course, referring to the world of crossovers. For many years, animation and video games had their share of crossovers, from those of He-Man and She-Ra, to those of the Capcom Vs. universe like those of Marvel vs. Capcom. Sailor Moon, is always in the crosshairs for crossovers, whether it's through fan art to doing fan fiction. I am one of many people who often put Sailor Moon in a crossover story with other characters from animation, whether its from American cartoons or from another Japanese anime. So, in honor of Sailor Moon's birthday and everything in between, I give you my Sailor Moon crossover ideas. Let us begin.
Crossover Idea 1: Yu Yu Hakusho
This idea is basic and I will tell you why. What does Sailor Moon and Yu Yu Hakusho have in common? Naoko Takeuchi is married to Yoshihiro Togashi, who created Yu Yu Hakusho, he also created Hunter X Hunter. This is a legit reason to do a crossover since both Naoko-chan and Togashi-san are both married. Before I talk about the story of the crossover, here is a recap on the story of Yu Yu Hakusho;
Yu Yu Hakusho tells to story of Yusuke Urameshi, a young boy who was very troubled, often gets into fights and gets in trouble for it. But, his life changed forever when he saved a young boy from getting hit by a car and he gets killed for it. Later in the afterlife, Yusuke meets a spirit guide named Botan, who provided Yusuke a chance to come back to the real world cause he wasn't ready to die yet. Initially, Yusuke didn't want to come back because he felt that we wasn't loved by everybody, even his own mother, who was an alcoholic. But when went his wake and saw everybody mourning for him, he had a change of heart. Yusuke agreed to return to the real world, but he was provided that he will be a Spirit Detective, fighting against other unworldly monsters and ghosts that invaded the real world. And that's the story in a nutshell. Now, here is the crossover idea for this basic one.
The entire planet is starting to be haunted to by spirits of those who tried to destroy the Earth. Those spirits are those who are Sailor Moon's past enemies from the Dark Kingdom to the Black Moon Clan and the Death Busters. It is obvious that the gateway between the afterlife and earth have been breached and broke by a dark, powerful evil force. Sailor Moon tried to fight off the spirits but her fear of ghosts makes her weak and helpless. Luckily, Yusuke and his friends came to her aid. Yusuke has heard of the breach between the Earth and the afterlife. With Yusuke's help, Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi pledge to help Yusuke to stop the evil spirits and restore balance to both respective worlds before it will tear the planet apart.
Crossover Idea 2: Dragon Ball Z
Yep, you knew it was coming. Two of the most popular anime shows. Two anime icons, together in this one. Anyway, here is a brief synopsis;
Although the sequel to the original Dragon Ball, this follow up became one of the best action anime shows ever made. Unlike the original, although still funny to a point, it is known for being a bit dark and serious. Now an adult, and after the defeat of King Piccolo and his offspring, Goku, now happily married and has a son named Gohan. The Earth was having relative peace until the arrival of the Saiyan named Raditz and this is where the story picks up from there. Through out the series, Goku had to fight a lot of tough enemies from Vegeta, to Frieza, Cell and Majin Buu, even reaching his peak as a Super Saiyan. Also, Piccolo went from bad to good and of course, the appearance of Vegeta and Bulma's son, Trunks. Now, the crossover story idea;
Technically, this one is a bit different, more like a fantasy type crossover. Although the pretty suited soldier of love and justice, Sailor Moon questions her fighting spirit. Everytime she fights, she backs down like a coward. One day, while watching the Dragon Ball Z marathon, she fell asleep. When she woke up, she ended up in the world of Dragon Ball Z, right in the middle of the Android saga. When the androids attack moonface, out came Goku and his friends, by means of a Kamehameha. After one fierce battle, Goku helps out Sailor Moon, by helping her gain her fighting spirit back. Like I said, this is just a fantasy type crossover. Sailor Moon meets Goku in a dream. That is all for now.
Crossover Idea 3 : Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (Ronin Warriors)
This is a crossover in the making. Whether its from fan art or through fan fiction, this is one crossover everyone likes to talk about. Both Sailor Moon and Ronin Warriors were two animes based on the popular Super Sentai shows, which were the basis for Power Rangers. According to YouTube user Venka21 on her review on this awesome anime, Ronin Warriors was either "a rip-off of Saint Seiya or an all male version of Sailor Moon." To some, that would be an insult. But to me, I take that as an complement. Well, why not. Let's look up what we know about both shows;
5 Inner Senshi
5 Ronin Warriors (Samurai Troopers)
4 Outer Senshi
4 Dark Warlords (Four Masho)
and 2 dark evil forces from other worlds.
Then, there are the comparisons to the characters. Everyone had their comparisons, but here are my takes on this. Let's start with the basic comparisons;
Sailor Mercury/Suiko no Shin (Cye of the Torrent): Both clad in blue, very good swimmers, both trustworthy and both share the power of water.
Sailor Jupiter/Kourin no Seiji (Sage of the Halo): Both clad in green, both know self-defense, and both share the power of thunder. Did I forget to mention that Sage looks a bit like Lita's old boyfriend? Anyway, moving on.
Sailor Venus/Kongou no Shu (Kento of Hardrock): Both clad in orange, act silly sometimes, have a strong sense of justice and their attacks are light and metal based (Venus Love Me Chain (Venus Love Chain Encircle)/Gen Tessai (Iron Rock Crusher).
Sailor Saturn/Oni Masho Shuten Doji (Ogre Warlord Anubis): Both started evil, sought redemption and both represent the season of spring, the season of rebirth.
Now, here are my other comparisons, but of a different sort;
Sailor Mars/Tenku no Touma (Rowen of the Strata): Although their powers differ, they have one thing in common. They represent the Yin/Yang concept. Rowen represents Yin, the light part, which makes him calm in battle and/or in arguments. Raye represents Yang, not evil but misguided. Although calm most of the time, Raye often loses her temper, especially getting into arguments with Serena. So the way I see it, Rowen is the Yin to Raye's proverbial Yang. Yin and Yang, Light and Dark, Good and Evil (though Raye is not evil despite her temper). And the one other thing they have in commom is their bow and arrow themed weapons (Raye's Mars Flame Sniper and Rowen's Shinku Ha (Arrow Shockwave).
And of course;
Sailor Moon/Rekka no Ryo (Ryo of the Wildfire): Just like Rowen and Raye, Ryo and Serena's powers differ, but they have more in common than you thought. Both are leaders of their respective groups and both have the power to become their ultimate forms (Kikoutei (Inferno) and Super and/or Eternal Sailor Moon). Also, initially, I wanted them to be a couple after Serena breaks up with Darien (Tuxedo Mask). Then, down the road, I realize that both Serena and Darien were meant to be together. I now think of Ryo as the big brother to Serena, almost like the Fonz standing up for his friends, AAAAY! One more thing, when I think of Ryo, Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask together, I think of VR Troopers. Here's what I mean. I think of Ryo as Ryan Steele, Serena as Katelyn Star and Darien as J.B. Reese. However, though I think of Ryo as Ryan, his surekill, So En Zan (Flare Up Now) almost resembles J.B.'s Laser Lance attack. Pretty Cool, huh? Now, the backstory of the anime itself;
A 1,000 years ago (sounds familiar), a demon emperor named Arago (Talpa) threatened to destroy the human world until a monk named Kaos (The Ancient) defeated him. Though he can't destroy Arago's armor, he split them up into 9 separate links, each based on the elements and seasons and its linked with their respective virtues. When Arago's spirit returned, he grabbed the four seasonal armors and give them to four troubled souls, which in turn, became his Masho (Dark Warlords). Luckily for Kaos, he saved the other armors and ended up with 5 pure hearted warriors, which became the Samurai Troopers (Ronin Warriors). 1,000 years later, Arago came to the mortal world and launch an attack on Tokyo. It is up to the Samurai Troopers to stop the demon emperor and his armies of darkness to save all humanity. When the anime came to the states, to avoid lawsuits by both Saban and DIC (now called Cookie Jar) with both VR Troopers and Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad, they renamed it Ronin Warriors. Despite the name of the title and some of their characters' name, the English dub stayed true to the original Japanese version. Enough talk, let's get to my ideas.
I got so many ideas, including making Jadeite (Jedite) Arago's (Talpa's) apprentice and both Sailor Senshi and Ronin Warriors and Dark Warlords unite fighting King Glames from Valis III. But here is one idea that was in the back of my mind. Remember the episodes from Batman: The Animated Series, "Perchance to Dream" and "Over the Edge"? This story is based on those episodes but of a different sort.
A deranged mad scientist created a machine that emulate dreams from the mind of its subject. Unfortunately, his prototype cause his test subject to be in a catatonic state. When the police got a hold of this, they arrested the scientist and shut down his operation. Many years later, the scientist escapes and resume his experiments, which he has perfected, insuring that all humanity will be asleep forever. He became aware of the Sailor Senshi, the Ronin Warriors and the Dark Warlords and decided to test his new machines on them. By sending his robot minions to abduct them, the mad doctor placed them into every single dream machine, with a Ronin Warriors/Dark Warlord, sitting side by side with a Sailor Senshi.
Crossover Idea 4: Maleficent's Death Curse/Saving the Mind of Jodi Benson!
This crossover is very special. Although it is loosely based on Turtles Forever, but this is totally different. Here is the synopsis;
After winning tickets to go to the San Diego Symphony, Rini invited Sailor Moon and the Inner Senshi go along wih her. Why the San Diego Symphony, you ask? Because Jodi Benson was going to be there and Rini likes watching The Little Mermaid. However, their fun time there was interrupted by the appearance of the evil witch queen from Sleeping Beauty, Maleficent. Maleficent placed a death curse on Jodi, causing her to be a deep sleep, never to be awake. It is up to the Sailor Senshi to save Jodi's mind and stop Maleficent, but not alone. In their adventures, the senshi team up with other characters like Tula from Pirates of Dark Water, P.J. Sparkles, Helen of Troy from Hercules, Barbie from Toy Story 2 & 3 and Aquagirl from Batman Beyond, to stop Maleficent from destroying the life spark of Jodi Benson herself, the witch queen's true target, Ariel the Little Mermaid.
There, that's a lot of ideas. There will be more ideas in the future but I need a lot of help for this. Until then, Stay Gold and Godspeed for now.
(Sailor Moon English Theme Instrumental plays)
*Fade Out
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Disney Destiny League Character Ideas: Aladdin
Hi folks, Rekka Dragon here. And since me and Stefan are bringing the fight to Disney, I figure I resume our joint ideas of the Destiny League fanfic story. Today, our character we will talk about is everyone's favorite street rat, Aladdin. Let us begin, shall we?
Background: A clever, street urchin from the desert kingdom of Agrabah. Aladdin spends his life, living in the streets, stealing stuff to survive while outwitting the Sultan's guards. Then one day, he meets and falls in love with the Sultan's daughter, Princess Jasmine, who is against arranged marriages and wants a live outside the palace (that sounds familiar). He was later used as a pawn by the Sultan's royal viser, Jafar, to find a magic lamp at the Cave of Wonders. With the possession of the lamp, Aladdin summoned the Genie from that lamp and granted him wishes, including being a prince because he was afraid that if he told Jasmine about him, being a street rat, she would flatly reject him. Jafar later gained possession of the lamp to seize control of Agrabah, but was thwarted by Aladdin, by making Jafar an all powerful genie and imprisoning him in his own lamp. With his third wish, Aladdin grants Genie his freedom and admits to Jasmine that he is not really a prince. But it didn't matter to her because she loves Aladdin for who he truly is. Later, with the help of Iago, his former lackey, Aladdin defeated Jafar, once and for all and Agrabah enjoyed relative peace.
Appearance, Gear & Personality: When thawed out, he was wearing his default outfit, a purple vest, baggy parachute pants ala M.C. Hammer and a red fez on his head and he was barefooted. To adjust to this dark world, Aladdin wears a futuristic style of arab-style clothing, colored in silver and gray, almost straight out of Prince of Persia, wearing arab-style boots (with the curled tip in front) and a small, silver cape, very sheik, I mean chic (don't care what Edna Mode says, capes are awesome). His weapon of choice is a standard scimitar and has the magic lamp that contains Genie, although freed from his 10,000 year imprisonment. For his mode of transportation, he has his magic Carpet. And above all, since he had the personality of a thief, he is very athletic, so athletic he could outwit and avoid his enemies. Although born a thief, despite his shortcomings and not pretty good with being royalty, Aladdin is a kind, caring person who will give is life to save his friends, including his brother in arms, Hercules.
Sidestory: After being thawed out by Rayjin, Aladdin was de-briefed about what happen to Agrabah and it became a world of hatred, suffering and death. Wondering about his friends, Aladdin went to Agrabah against Rayjin's concerns. To Al's horror, Agrabah was in ruins, now ruled by a group of Arabs who are followers of Jafar, who want to rule Agrabah with an iron fist and destroy those who don't follow their way of life. To make matters worse, these anti-social psychopaths are lead by Nasira, the sister of Jafar, who wants revenge on Aladdin for his death. While in hiding, Aladdin was taken in by a nice elderly man and his family, told him the horrible story about Agrabah's downfall and Nasira's rise to power. And to make it worse, the Sultan, Jasmine, everybody close to Al has since passed on, all wiped out by Nasira. Without Aladdin, Agrabah became a world of darkness. But, the elderly man hoped and pray that one day, Agrabah will be free from Nasira's rule and it will be free for all nationalities. With determination and renewed strength, Aladdin vows to free Agrabah and stop Nasira. Aladdin, scimitar at hand, singlehandedly fought against Jafar's disciples and against Nasira. Although defeated, Nasira vowed vengeance when she retreated back to the shadows, along with her followers. Afterwards, the spirit of Princess Jasmine appeared before Aladdin. Al apologizes to Jasmine for not being there with her when Agrabah fell. Jasmine sympathizes with him, knowing that they can't be together anymore. But, before vanishing, Jasmine states that she will always be there for him and kisses him goodbye. Afterwards, Aladdin returns to Rayjin and he is ready to fight alongside him. Rayjin knows that he can't bring back his friends, including Jasmine, but he has salvage not only Carpet, but also the magic lamp, containing Genie. Although Al will feel alone, but as long as he has both Carpet and Genie, he will not feel alone. As long as Jasmine is here in spirit, Aladdin will never falter.
And that is it for today. Now, if you'll excuse me, I got some campaigning to do to give justice to Disney. Until next time, stay gold and Godspeed.
(Arabian Nights plays)
*Fade Out
Background: A clever, street urchin from the desert kingdom of Agrabah. Aladdin spends his life, living in the streets, stealing stuff to survive while outwitting the Sultan's guards. Then one day, he meets and falls in love with the Sultan's daughter, Princess Jasmine, who is against arranged marriages and wants a live outside the palace (that sounds familiar). He was later used as a pawn by the Sultan's royal viser, Jafar, to find a magic lamp at the Cave of Wonders. With the possession of the lamp, Aladdin summoned the Genie from that lamp and granted him wishes, including being a prince because he was afraid that if he told Jasmine about him, being a street rat, she would flatly reject him. Jafar later gained possession of the lamp to seize control of Agrabah, but was thwarted by Aladdin, by making Jafar an all powerful genie and imprisoning him in his own lamp. With his third wish, Aladdin grants Genie his freedom and admits to Jasmine that he is not really a prince. But it didn't matter to her because she loves Aladdin for who he truly is. Later, with the help of Iago, his former lackey, Aladdin defeated Jafar, once and for all and Agrabah enjoyed relative peace.
Appearance, Gear & Personality: When thawed out, he was wearing his default outfit, a purple vest, baggy parachute pants ala M.C. Hammer and a red fez on his head and he was barefooted. To adjust to this dark world, Aladdin wears a futuristic style of arab-style clothing, colored in silver and gray, almost straight out of Prince of Persia, wearing arab-style boots (with the curled tip in front) and a small, silver cape, very sheik, I mean chic (don't care what Edna Mode says, capes are awesome). His weapon of choice is a standard scimitar and has the magic lamp that contains Genie, although freed from his 10,000 year imprisonment. For his mode of transportation, he has his magic Carpet. And above all, since he had the personality of a thief, he is very athletic, so athletic he could outwit and avoid his enemies. Although born a thief, despite his shortcomings and not pretty good with being royalty, Aladdin is a kind, caring person who will give is life to save his friends, including his brother in arms, Hercules.
Sidestory: After being thawed out by Rayjin, Aladdin was de-briefed about what happen to Agrabah and it became a world of hatred, suffering and death. Wondering about his friends, Aladdin went to Agrabah against Rayjin's concerns. To Al's horror, Agrabah was in ruins, now ruled by a group of Arabs who are followers of Jafar, who want to rule Agrabah with an iron fist and destroy those who don't follow their way of life. To make matters worse, these anti-social psychopaths are lead by Nasira, the sister of Jafar, who wants revenge on Aladdin for his death. While in hiding, Aladdin was taken in by a nice elderly man and his family, told him the horrible story about Agrabah's downfall and Nasira's rise to power. And to make it worse, the Sultan, Jasmine, everybody close to Al has since passed on, all wiped out by Nasira. Without Aladdin, Agrabah became a world of darkness. But, the elderly man hoped and pray that one day, Agrabah will be free from Nasira's rule and it will be free for all nationalities. With determination and renewed strength, Aladdin vows to free Agrabah and stop Nasira. Aladdin, scimitar at hand, singlehandedly fought against Jafar's disciples and against Nasira. Although defeated, Nasira vowed vengeance when she retreated back to the shadows, along with her followers. Afterwards, the spirit of Princess Jasmine appeared before Aladdin. Al apologizes to Jasmine for not being there with her when Agrabah fell. Jasmine sympathizes with him, knowing that they can't be together anymore. But, before vanishing, Jasmine states that she will always be there for him and kisses him goodbye. Afterwards, Aladdin returns to Rayjin and he is ready to fight alongside him. Rayjin knows that he can't bring back his friends, including Jasmine, but he has salvage not only Carpet, but also the magic lamp, containing Genie. Although Al will feel alone, but as long as he has both Carpet and Genie, he will not feel alone. As long as Jasmine is here in spirit, Aladdin will never falter.
And that is it for today. Now, if you'll excuse me, I got some campaigning to do to give justice to Disney. Until next time, stay gold and Godspeed.
(Arabian Nights plays)
*Fade Out
Monday, June 17, 2013
Robert Iger: A Wanted Man!
This, is but a first step in bringing back Disney to its former glory. Letting the whole world that Robert Iger is a wanted man. He can't dodge us and avoid us forever. He will answer for what he has done to this once proud company.
Disney belongs to Mickey and friends, not you or all the teeny-boppers you favor more.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
The Pros and Cons of Canadian Animation (and everything in between)
Hi there. You see, Stefan and I have a lot in common, we fight for the rights for all animation and put those you use who use Executive and/or Corporate Meddling for their base ends in their place. But, there is one thing that I am having trouble with is animated shows from north of the border and that is Canada.
For the past several years, when it comes to animation, Canada is getting a bad reputation, but it's not their fault. I know most of their cartoons today are mostly comedies, which should be on Comedy Central. The reason these cartoons are that bad is because their are aired on the networks that have since lost their way, when it comes to demographics.
For example, Cartoon Network, they use to do cartoons at their studio, no matter what money they got. But when Stuart Snyder was put in charge, they decided to cut back on their studio, not only relying on live action shows, but also having imports like the newly-vamped but overly milked Johnny Test. My brother use to call Jonny Quest, "Jonny Pest." Forget Quest, Johnny Test is the new Jonny Pest, cause he has overstayed his welcome. Now, Disney, under Robert Iger, are now doing the same thing CN is doing other that depending on Teeny-Boppers, pushing Mickey Mouse aside and giving Ariel and the entire Little Mermaid franchise a bad reputation by fans who love it as kids, now hated it as adults.
But, not all forms of animation in Canada are bad. Don't believe me? As Peabody would say, "Sherman, set the Way Back Machine to the 1980s." There are few things I like about Canada, Maple Syrup, voice actors equal those to FUNimation and pro-wrestling legends like Bret "Hitman" Hart. Anyway, as you know, I grew up in the 80s and they have great cartoons, and some of them are from Canada. If you recall, there was an awesome cartoon called The Raccoons, which I saw when I was a kid and I saw it the later years in Disney Channel's golden years. Here is a interesting fact on that show; Melissa Raccoon was voiced by none other than Susan Roman, who later became the voice of Sailor Jupiter in the English dub of Sailor Moon and to this date, the only voice actor in the dub who was there from the very beginning and was never replaced. Then, there was the Care Bears, and of course I was talking about the Nelvana cartoon. Although it wasn't great, but I enjoyed it, especially with the Care Bear Stare and all that. And just like Susan Roman with The Raccoons, before becoming the heart and soul of Sailor Moon, Terri Hawkes did voice work in Care Bears as one of the villains, Shreeky.
Even though some Canadian cartoons are great, but some of them are not so great but we watch them still. Like the two Star Wars cartoons, Droids and Ewoks. The animation in both shows were done by Nelvana, who did the animation for the god-awful Star Wars Holiday Special and to make it clear, Boba Fett first appeared in this one, not The Empire Strikes Back.
I do agree that the Canadian cartoons of today are terrible, the only exception is Rescue Heroes. I know it is based on the children's toy, but the reason I like this cartoon for two reasons. Reason 1; some of the voice actors did voice work on other animated shows. Billy Blazes, Wendy Waters and Rip Rockefeller were voiced by Norm Spencer, Lenore Zann and Cal Dodd, who voiced Cyclops, Rogue and Wolverine respectively from the 90s X-Men cartoon. As for Sam Sparks, another firefighter like Billy and Wendy, he was voiced by Vince Corraza, who was the third voice of Tuxedo Mask in the Sailor Moon English dub. And Reason 2; like I said, I grew up in the 80s and some of the cartoons I watch had PSAs at the end of every episode and it continued into the 90s, before the Educational/Informational mark was slapped on by the FCC. If I ever do a Top 10 or 20 countdown video involving cartoons with PSAs, I will add Rescue Heroes to that list. I mean, who does not like the phrase, "Think like a Rescue Hero, think safe."
One last thing before I log off, even Canada had a shot with doing voice overs, but in Japanese anime. There was this voice acting group called Ocean Group. In the beginning, I was skeptical on what they do when they dub an anime, especially doing the first dub of Dragon Ball Z. But after all these years, I got use of them and they deserve to be FUNimation's equals when it comes to dubbing anime. My favorite voice actors from this group of Canadian voice actors are;
Scott McNeil
Michael Donovan
Lisa Ann Beley
Garry Chalk
Richard Newman
David Kaye
Ward Perry
Matthew Smith
Ian James Corlett
Venus Terzo
Paul Dobson
Terry Klassen
and my personal favorites;
Matt Hill (Ryo of the Wildfire)
Mark Gatha (Domon Kasshu and Megaman X, too bad he's a doctor now)
Lucas Gilbertson (Zero, he is a better voice than Wayne Doster)
Nicole Oliver (Princess Celestia; always write letters of friendship to her, always)
Ocean Group is a way better Canadian dubbing studio than Nelvana, who did bad with Cardcaptors, the pooly done English dub of CLAMP's Cardcaptor Sakura.
Bottom Line, even though Canada may have bad cartoons that got worse by airing on both Cartoon Network and Disney Channel. But, we should look at the good, too, especially looking back on the past like The Raccoons and Care Bears and not to mention the voice actors who did anime and are equal to FUNimation. So, don't blame Canada, blame Corporate Meddling who forsakes the fans for their base ends and sees American animation as obsolete and That's NO Good.
Until next time. Stay Gold and Godspeed and remember, when in Canada, always bundle up.
*Run With Us - The Theme of The Raccoons play
*Fade Out
For the past several years, when it comes to animation, Canada is getting a bad reputation, but it's not their fault. I know most of their cartoons today are mostly comedies, which should be on Comedy Central. The reason these cartoons are that bad is because their are aired on the networks that have since lost their way, when it comes to demographics.
For example, Cartoon Network, they use to do cartoons at their studio, no matter what money they got. But when Stuart Snyder was put in charge, they decided to cut back on their studio, not only relying on live action shows, but also having imports like the newly-vamped but overly milked Johnny Test. My brother use to call Jonny Quest, "Jonny Pest." Forget Quest, Johnny Test is the new Jonny Pest, cause he has overstayed his welcome. Now, Disney, under Robert Iger, are now doing the same thing CN is doing other that depending on Teeny-Boppers, pushing Mickey Mouse aside and giving Ariel and the entire Little Mermaid franchise a bad reputation by fans who love it as kids, now hated it as adults.
But, not all forms of animation in Canada are bad. Don't believe me? As Peabody would say, "Sherman, set the Way Back Machine to the 1980s." There are few things I like about Canada, Maple Syrup, voice actors equal those to FUNimation and pro-wrestling legends like Bret "Hitman" Hart. Anyway, as you know, I grew up in the 80s and they have great cartoons, and some of them are from Canada. If you recall, there was an awesome cartoon called The Raccoons, which I saw when I was a kid and I saw it the later years in Disney Channel's golden years. Here is a interesting fact on that show; Melissa Raccoon was voiced by none other than Susan Roman, who later became the voice of Sailor Jupiter in the English dub of Sailor Moon and to this date, the only voice actor in the dub who was there from the very beginning and was never replaced. Then, there was the Care Bears, and of course I was talking about the Nelvana cartoon. Although it wasn't great, but I enjoyed it, especially with the Care Bear Stare and all that. And just like Susan Roman with The Raccoons, before becoming the heart and soul of Sailor Moon, Terri Hawkes did voice work in Care Bears as one of the villains, Shreeky.
Even though some Canadian cartoons are great, but some of them are not so great but we watch them still. Like the two Star Wars cartoons, Droids and Ewoks. The animation in both shows were done by Nelvana, who did the animation for the god-awful Star Wars Holiday Special and to make it clear, Boba Fett first appeared in this one, not The Empire Strikes Back.
I do agree that the Canadian cartoons of today are terrible, the only exception is Rescue Heroes. I know it is based on the children's toy, but the reason I like this cartoon for two reasons. Reason 1; some of the voice actors did voice work on other animated shows. Billy Blazes, Wendy Waters and Rip Rockefeller were voiced by Norm Spencer, Lenore Zann and Cal Dodd, who voiced Cyclops, Rogue and Wolverine respectively from the 90s X-Men cartoon. As for Sam Sparks, another firefighter like Billy and Wendy, he was voiced by Vince Corraza, who was the third voice of Tuxedo Mask in the Sailor Moon English dub. And Reason 2; like I said, I grew up in the 80s and some of the cartoons I watch had PSAs at the end of every episode and it continued into the 90s, before the Educational/Informational mark was slapped on by the FCC. If I ever do a Top 10 or 20 countdown video involving cartoons with PSAs, I will add Rescue Heroes to that list. I mean, who does not like the phrase, "Think like a Rescue Hero, think safe."
One last thing before I log off, even Canada had a shot with doing voice overs, but in Japanese anime. There was this voice acting group called Ocean Group. In the beginning, I was skeptical on what they do when they dub an anime, especially doing the first dub of Dragon Ball Z. But after all these years, I got use of them and they deserve to be FUNimation's equals when it comes to dubbing anime. My favorite voice actors from this group of Canadian voice actors are;
Scott McNeil
Michael Donovan
Lisa Ann Beley
Garry Chalk
Richard Newman
David Kaye
Ward Perry
Matthew Smith
Ian James Corlett
Venus Terzo
Paul Dobson
Terry Klassen
and my personal favorites;
Matt Hill (Ryo of the Wildfire)
Mark Gatha (Domon Kasshu and Megaman X, too bad he's a doctor now)
Lucas Gilbertson (Zero, he is a better voice than Wayne Doster)
Nicole Oliver (Princess Celestia; always write letters of friendship to her, always)
Ocean Group is a way better Canadian dubbing studio than Nelvana, who did bad with Cardcaptors, the pooly done English dub of CLAMP's Cardcaptor Sakura.
Bottom Line, even though Canada may have bad cartoons that got worse by airing on both Cartoon Network and Disney Channel. But, we should look at the good, too, especially looking back on the past like The Raccoons and Care Bears and not to mention the voice actors who did anime and are equal to FUNimation. So, don't blame Canada, blame Corporate Meddling who forsakes the fans for their base ends and sees American animation as obsolete and That's NO Good.
Until next time. Stay Gold and Godspeed and remember, when in Canada, always bundle up.
*Run With Us - The Theme of The Raccoons play
*Fade Out
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Robert Iger, YOU HAVE FAILED THIS COMPANY!!
Just as the title of the blog says, I am paraphrasing what Green Arrow says when he confronts those who use Corporate Meddling for their base ends, except rather than saying "You have failed this city," I use the word "company" instead of "city." Which is the case of the blog I writing to you now. My first one under my new username, RekkaDragonJay. My username is more that just that, I am a firebrand when it comes to dealing with the subject of Corporate Meddling, the art of "Screwing the Rules" when it comes to destroying the fabric of what a company use to be for the sake of greed, politics and corruption. Which is the case of the very person that I am talking about, the current president and CEO of Disney, Robert Iger.
It all began with a man, a man named Michael Eisner. Eisner was the former head of the Walt Disney Company. He came around the 1980s when he joined Disney as its CEO. Because of him, he turned the company around, and save the company from bankruptcy, which began with a mermaid named Ariel (more on that later). During that time, Disney, under Eisner's guidance, enjoyed relative peace for the next decade around the 90s. But like most executives, he was letting his power corrupt his decisions, including the use of Direct to Video sequels, which didn't do too well, except for those from Aladdin and The Little Mermaid, those I like. Because of that, Eisner was getting bashed by most of the Disney staff, including Roy E. Disney. Aware that power is getting to his head, Eisner resigned as CEO and gave that position to Robert Iger.
Back then, he was not much of a threat. When he became CEO, Iger saved the CGI company known as Pixar from uncertainty, due to financial problems around Eisner's time as CEO. Then, many years later after that, things went downhill from there. Let's start with Disney Channel. Back then, it was a great channel with those of Disney's heritage, past and present. Now, it has been replaced with those of the teeny-bopper variety like Hannah Montana, and the constantly milked Zack & Cody. And Mickey Mouse, the face of this company, has been pushed to the wayside and reduced to being a character for preschoolers and not the icon of animation that we know today. Same thing goes with Toon Disney, now called DisneyXD. And I was enjoying Tron: Uprising, which got cancelled, by the way. Why do good cartoons in the modern age get cancelled so much? Corporate Meddling, much?
Next, we got the monopoly of buying other companies. Let's start with the famed comics company, Marvel, the home of heroes like Spider-Man, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk and such. At first I was skeptical about Iger's decision to buy it, fearing that it will be kiddized in their image. But, safe to say, Marvel remained the same and its doing well, especially with the Avengers movie. Now, the Marvel engine is slowing down with not only Ultimate Spider-Man but also with the new Avengers Assemble cartoon. Unfortunately, the Marvel heroes are slowly being ignored in favor of constant marathons of Zack & Cody. I don't need Spider-Sense to tell me that Marvel is slowly falling apart. Now, the subject of Lucasfilm. I am not surprised that Disney bought George Lucas's movie company, cause if I recall, the Disney Parks have both Star Wars and Indiana Jones themed attractions. However, no sooner after Lucasfilm was bought, the layoffs happen when the its gaming division, Lucasarts, known for their Star Wars games including Rebel Assault, Rogue Squadron and Battlefront, was closing down for good. "Power Corrupts" as they say. I don't think the Force isn't with Lucasfilm after this, despite plans for a new trilogy of films.
Now, here is where its personal for me. Let's start with the subject of The Little Mermaid. For the past several years, Disney Channel, DisneyXD and ABC Family have been showing our favorite Disney movies. Every Disney movie except for The Little Mermaid. It seems that this classic movie and everything that was spawned afterwards is getting a lot of hate and here is why. For instance, they claim that this movie is nothing like the original story by Hans Christian Andersen, which is a downer, you know, the mermaid dying, turning into seafoam and all that. It is true, but couldn't they respect this movie in the same manner as the original story. Second, the subject of the very character in the movie and that is Ariel. I heard it from the web, from YouTube, and so on and so forth and I hear the same thing. They bash Ariel because of her characterization. They say that she is a selfish, whiny, mermaid who forsakes her family and friends for her heart's desire and she did it for a man. Well, those nay-sayers and haters can SIT ON IT, cause they are wrong on all accounts. Ariel is the most kind, caring, person in the history in animation, whether she's a mermaid or not. Her actions in the movie was based on her teen-angst. I know she is headstrong, stubborn, and curious, but she is not perfect, no one is, whether you are a character of fiction or a real person. Ariel learned from her mistakes, whether she's a teenage mermaid or a nurturing Earth mother to her daughter, Melody. All Ariel wanted was to explore the human world by becoming a human. Being with Prince Eric is one part of her goal but its not the main goal. I know she made bad choices, but like I said, she learned from them. And its negative feedback like this is why Disney is not showing anything Little Mermaid related on their channels, even around summertime. And to make matters worse, I was planning to see the 3D re-release of The Little Mermaid this year. But, due to low grosses from the other 3D re-releases from other Disney and Pixar movies, along with the negative feedback on The Little Mermaid, the 3D re-release was cancelled and was planned to be put in its Diamond Edition of Disney Blu-Rays. It is not fair, I was going to see it, as a birthday present. Let me make this perfectly clear. Money does not bring magic, putting a smile to kids and those who are young at heart does. And Ditz-ney had no right to cancel it, just to satisfy their greed. Because of this, I wrote an open letter to Disney, demanding them to put that 3D re-release of The Little Mermaid back in theaters in a later date, that and wanting to see Jodi Benson at the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade, just to see her sing, for old times sake. I lucked out a long time ago. missing out on her singing. I was a kid at the time (more on my reasons later). I have since got no reply, no surprise here. Doesn't he realize that if it wasn't for The Little Mermaid, Disney would been out of business long ago. Now, he and his followers treat it like an afterthought and all this negative feedback is only making it worse. And ordinary person would've like the movie as a kid and hate it years later in their adult years. Not me, though. I am the exact opposite. As a kid, I use to think that The Little Mermaid was "girly stuff," too. But, when my father died, I have changed. After getting the Platinum Edition DVD of the movie, all my fears was put away. And now, only thing that matters to me more than anything is meeting Jodi Benson herself. And then, only then, I could finally move on and I am not going to let negative feedbacks stop me. This is my dream, my mission, my...destiny!
Finally, the other part that is personal, too. This summer, Disney Channel is planning to show their so-called new movie called Teen Beach Movie. For starters, think of this as High School Musical, but takes place at a beach. Second, "Teen Beach Movie?" Is that the best title they could come up with. If they wanted to make a beach-themed movie, they should call it High School Musical: The Beach Edition or something. I still say it is lame. And you know what is even more lame and this is most disturbing of all, this movie is nothing but an insult to the memory of the late, great Annette Funnicello, who starred in some of the beach themed movies with Frankie Avalon, starting with Beach Blanket Bingo. And why she is so special, you say. Annette was one of the original Mouseketeers of the original Mickey Mouse Club. When I first heard of this nice, classy lady, I use to see her in the movie, Babes in Toyland, not to be confused with the Laurel and Hardy classic, March of the Wooden Soldiers. When I heard she died of Multiple Schrosis, it hurt me a lot. And what is sad about this is I never knew she had M.S.. Annette was a very classy lady and Iger and those under his power had no right to insult her memory with this teeny-bopper trash like Teen Beach Movie. Iger could've made a fund to support research and find a cure of M.S., in honor of Annette Funnicello. But instead, he just like to insult the memories of those who have died, by making teeny-bopper movies that make fun of the other movies we like.
Bottom Line, Pixar and Marvel aside, Robert Iger has ruined what Walt Disney and those who follow him have created. This company was made by the mouse. But, if we don't save it, it will end, by a guy name Iger. In times like this, I wish John Lasseter was the head of the Walt Disney Company, not Iger. If he could make magic with Pixar, he could do the same with Disney, in the same way Eisner and even Walt Disney himself did all these years ago. And even if he retires in 2015, we got enough time to right the wrongs he have cause. And then, only then, Disney will return to its former glory.
Disney, will become the Happiest Place on Earth once more. But until then, we fight on.
Until next time, folks. Stay Gold and Godspeed.
*Electrical Communication - Rockman 8 theme plays
*Fade Out
It all began with a man, a man named Michael Eisner. Eisner was the former head of the Walt Disney Company. He came around the 1980s when he joined Disney as its CEO. Because of him, he turned the company around, and save the company from bankruptcy, which began with a mermaid named Ariel (more on that later). During that time, Disney, under Eisner's guidance, enjoyed relative peace for the next decade around the 90s. But like most executives, he was letting his power corrupt his decisions, including the use of Direct to Video sequels, which didn't do too well, except for those from Aladdin and The Little Mermaid, those I like. Because of that, Eisner was getting bashed by most of the Disney staff, including Roy E. Disney. Aware that power is getting to his head, Eisner resigned as CEO and gave that position to Robert Iger.
Back then, he was not much of a threat. When he became CEO, Iger saved the CGI company known as Pixar from uncertainty, due to financial problems around Eisner's time as CEO. Then, many years later after that, things went downhill from there. Let's start with Disney Channel. Back then, it was a great channel with those of Disney's heritage, past and present. Now, it has been replaced with those of the teeny-bopper variety like Hannah Montana, and the constantly milked Zack & Cody. And Mickey Mouse, the face of this company, has been pushed to the wayside and reduced to being a character for preschoolers and not the icon of animation that we know today. Same thing goes with Toon Disney, now called DisneyXD. And I was enjoying Tron: Uprising, which got cancelled, by the way. Why do good cartoons in the modern age get cancelled so much? Corporate Meddling, much?
Next, we got the monopoly of buying other companies. Let's start with the famed comics company, Marvel, the home of heroes like Spider-Man, Captain America, The Incredible Hulk and such. At first I was skeptical about Iger's decision to buy it, fearing that it will be kiddized in their image. But, safe to say, Marvel remained the same and its doing well, especially with the Avengers movie. Now, the Marvel engine is slowing down with not only Ultimate Spider-Man but also with the new Avengers Assemble cartoon. Unfortunately, the Marvel heroes are slowly being ignored in favor of constant marathons of Zack & Cody. I don't need Spider-Sense to tell me that Marvel is slowly falling apart. Now, the subject of Lucasfilm. I am not surprised that Disney bought George Lucas's movie company, cause if I recall, the Disney Parks have both Star Wars and Indiana Jones themed attractions. However, no sooner after Lucasfilm was bought, the layoffs happen when the its gaming division, Lucasarts, known for their Star Wars games including Rebel Assault, Rogue Squadron and Battlefront, was closing down for good. "Power Corrupts" as they say. I don't think the Force isn't with Lucasfilm after this, despite plans for a new trilogy of films.
Now, here is where its personal for me. Let's start with the subject of The Little Mermaid. For the past several years, Disney Channel, DisneyXD and ABC Family have been showing our favorite Disney movies. Every Disney movie except for The Little Mermaid. It seems that this classic movie and everything that was spawned afterwards is getting a lot of hate and here is why. For instance, they claim that this movie is nothing like the original story by Hans Christian Andersen, which is a downer, you know, the mermaid dying, turning into seafoam and all that. It is true, but couldn't they respect this movie in the same manner as the original story. Second, the subject of the very character in the movie and that is Ariel. I heard it from the web, from YouTube, and so on and so forth and I hear the same thing. They bash Ariel because of her characterization. They say that she is a selfish, whiny, mermaid who forsakes her family and friends for her heart's desire and she did it for a man. Well, those nay-sayers and haters can SIT ON IT, cause they are wrong on all accounts. Ariel is the most kind, caring, person in the history in animation, whether she's a mermaid or not. Her actions in the movie was based on her teen-angst. I know she is headstrong, stubborn, and curious, but she is not perfect, no one is, whether you are a character of fiction or a real person. Ariel learned from her mistakes, whether she's a teenage mermaid or a nurturing Earth mother to her daughter, Melody. All Ariel wanted was to explore the human world by becoming a human. Being with Prince Eric is one part of her goal but its not the main goal. I know she made bad choices, but like I said, she learned from them. And its negative feedback like this is why Disney is not showing anything Little Mermaid related on their channels, even around summertime. And to make matters worse, I was planning to see the 3D re-release of The Little Mermaid this year. But, due to low grosses from the other 3D re-releases from other Disney and Pixar movies, along with the negative feedback on The Little Mermaid, the 3D re-release was cancelled and was planned to be put in its Diamond Edition of Disney Blu-Rays. It is not fair, I was going to see it, as a birthday present. Let me make this perfectly clear. Money does not bring magic, putting a smile to kids and those who are young at heart does. And Ditz-ney had no right to cancel it, just to satisfy their greed. Because of this, I wrote an open letter to Disney, demanding them to put that 3D re-release of The Little Mermaid back in theaters in a later date, that and wanting to see Jodi Benson at the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade, just to see her sing, for old times sake. I lucked out a long time ago. missing out on her singing. I was a kid at the time (more on my reasons later). I have since got no reply, no surprise here. Doesn't he realize that if it wasn't for The Little Mermaid, Disney would been out of business long ago. Now, he and his followers treat it like an afterthought and all this negative feedback is only making it worse. And ordinary person would've like the movie as a kid and hate it years later in their adult years. Not me, though. I am the exact opposite. As a kid, I use to think that The Little Mermaid was "girly stuff," too. But, when my father died, I have changed. After getting the Platinum Edition DVD of the movie, all my fears was put away. And now, only thing that matters to me more than anything is meeting Jodi Benson herself. And then, only then, I could finally move on and I am not going to let negative feedbacks stop me. This is my dream, my mission, my...destiny!
Finally, the other part that is personal, too. This summer, Disney Channel is planning to show their so-called new movie called Teen Beach Movie. For starters, think of this as High School Musical, but takes place at a beach. Second, "Teen Beach Movie?" Is that the best title they could come up with. If they wanted to make a beach-themed movie, they should call it High School Musical: The Beach Edition or something. I still say it is lame. And you know what is even more lame and this is most disturbing of all, this movie is nothing but an insult to the memory of the late, great Annette Funnicello, who starred in some of the beach themed movies with Frankie Avalon, starting with Beach Blanket Bingo. And why she is so special, you say. Annette was one of the original Mouseketeers of the original Mickey Mouse Club. When I first heard of this nice, classy lady, I use to see her in the movie, Babes in Toyland, not to be confused with the Laurel and Hardy classic, March of the Wooden Soldiers. When I heard she died of Multiple Schrosis, it hurt me a lot. And what is sad about this is I never knew she had M.S.. Annette was a very classy lady and Iger and those under his power had no right to insult her memory with this teeny-bopper trash like Teen Beach Movie. Iger could've made a fund to support research and find a cure of M.S., in honor of Annette Funnicello. But instead, he just like to insult the memories of those who have died, by making teeny-bopper movies that make fun of the other movies we like.
Bottom Line, Pixar and Marvel aside, Robert Iger has ruined what Walt Disney and those who follow him have created. This company was made by the mouse. But, if we don't save it, it will end, by a guy name Iger. In times like this, I wish John Lasseter was the head of the Walt Disney Company, not Iger. If he could make magic with Pixar, he could do the same with Disney, in the same way Eisner and even Walt Disney himself did all these years ago. And even if he retires in 2015, we got enough time to right the wrongs he have cause. And then, only then, Disney will return to its former glory.
Disney, will become the Happiest Place on Earth once more. But until then, we fight on.
Until next time, folks. Stay Gold and Godspeed.
*Electrical Communication - Rockman 8 theme plays
*Fade Out
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Enter the Rekka Dragon!!
Hi folks. Jason here. Doing my first blog in weeks. Let me sum it up for you. My other computer broke down because the starter button won't work right. Everytime I turn it on, it just turns off and when I try it again, it just won't turn on at all. I had to wait almost two weeks until I get a new computer, which I did. And this one I am using is a beaut, a dream modem if I ever had one. The load times on certain pages are faster now since my new computer has a faster processor.
Anyway, to make a long story short, sorry I've been away for some time. The ACF won't be the same without me. And I won't let anyone, especially my brother in arms, Stefan, down again. Once I get my computer back into the status quo, I will get back into blogging. Whether its the Destiny League character profiles or doing a Sailor Moon themed blog or ranting against Corporate Meddling, I will do that.
As far as my username goes, Dragonranger1 is no more. Initially, I thought the name was for a cross between a dragon and paying homage to the underrated 80s action cartoon, The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers. But, whoever left that comment about my old username, he was right. The name, Dragonranger was the name of the character from the Super Sentai show which was the jump start for Power Rangers, Dinosaur Squadron Zyuranger. Just like the Phoenix who rises from the ashes and in honor of my favorite anime hero, Rekka no Ryo (Ryo of the Wildfire) from Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (Ronin Warriors), from this point on, my username will be and forever shall be known as...
Rekka Dragon Jay!!
It's time for these corporate hacks to see the light.
Until next time, stay gold and Godspeed.
*Megaman X3 Stage Complete theme plays
Anyway, to make a long story short, sorry I've been away for some time. The ACF won't be the same without me. And I won't let anyone, especially my brother in arms, Stefan, down again. Once I get my computer back into the status quo, I will get back into blogging. Whether its the Destiny League character profiles or doing a Sailor Moon themed blog or ranting against Corporate Meddling, I will do that.
As far as my username goes, Dragonranger1 is no more. Initially, I thought the name was for a cross between a dragon and paying homage to the underrated 80s action cartoon, The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers. But, whoever left that comment about my old username, he was right. The name, Dragonranger was the name of the character from the Super Sentai show which was the jump start for Power Rangers, Dinosaur Squadron Zyuranger. Just like the Phoenix who rises from the ashes and in honor of my favorite anime hero, Rekka no Ryo (Ryo of the Wildfire) from Yoroiden Samurai Troopers (Ronin Warriors), from this point on, my username will be and forever shall be known as...
Rekka Dragon Jay!!
It's time for these corporate hacks to see the light.
Until next time, stay gold and Godspeed.
*Megaman X3 Stage Complete theme plays
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