Anime World Order Show # 23 – Decadence, Depravity, and Disasters

The popular podcasts release their shows on time and foster communities out of their listeners. We are capable of neither of these things. The theme of this episode was “disasters,” and that’s what befell us all. Gerald was going to review Spriggan but couldn’t find the words, Clarissa reviews the “gay porn only without the porn” title My Sexual Harassment (and eventually found the words), and Daryl’s ongoing search for THE TRUTH leads him to the simple, startling, and plagiarized revelation that The Japanese Animation Convention is Decadent and Depraved.

Once again we’re late releasing this thing AND it’s 3 AM (er, 3:45 AM now that I’m done writing the basic outline for these notes). After nearly half a year now, we STILL have not gotten any faster or better at doing the editing on these things. Perhaps now is the time to start begging people to donate mixer boards and audio hardware stuff to us or something.

Introduction (0:00 – 26:39)
We start things off by responding to listener feedback. What anime should you show to your girlfriend? Why, who better to ask than a bunch of people that have never had one! Who are the lamest character designers in anime? How do we even FIND all this stuff we review? And why the heck don’t we take a cue from the GOOD podcasts and set up some forums, an IRC channel, or ANYTHING that’d help build a community, anyway?!

Let’s News! (26:39 – 32:50)
A bunch of anime titles supposedly have live-action versions being made of them. WHY did we bother to report on this, again? Plus, there’s a place called Moe Burger now. We all demanded that Matt Alt and Patrick Macias head over to that vile place immediately to get pictures, but since this episode is so late, they actually did it already.

Was Going to Be Reviewed But Wasn’t: Spriggan (32:50 – 33:35)
Gerald tried to convince us all that Spriggan absolutely sucked, but couldn’t quite formulate a proper means of conveying that message. After days of trying to fix it all through re-recordings and editing, he gave up on it so that the rest of this episode could actually be released. We’d rather release nothing at all than something not up to our standards, minimal though they may be. Will Spriggan be reviewed in the future? Time will tell.

Promo: R5 Central (33:35 – 34:19)
You know what I just learned from listening to Otaku Generation this week? That that female robot filter effect Mike does in all his promos and episodes is supposed to be his sarcastic female AI cohost! You know, like how the villains in Bibleman all have that sarcastic female AI sidekick with the New Yawk/Joisey accent to gently remind the good children viewing the Trinity Broadcasting Network that people from ’round those parts are evil? All this time, I just thought he was doing it to be ridiculous, like when Wesley Willis would do it, but it’s actually an homage to the Full Armor of God. Never leave home without it. Sure, there’s OTHER tokusatsu shows out there with that type of character, but I KNOW this is what he was going for. Anime Central’s been over for about two months now, and by the rate it takes us to get OUR con reports done, I’d say R5 Central’s right on schedule.

Review: My Sexual Harassment (34:19 – 48:24)
According to our feed statistics, the least downloaded episode of all our shows is Show # 4 in which, among other things, Clarissa reviewed the yaoi title Sensitive Pornograph. Common sense would dictate that we shouldn’t review any more of this stuff since nobody cares, but we’d rather just ignore that and review whatever we feel like. Thus, Clarissa EXPLAINS IT ALL, (HAW HAW HAW HAW) by reviewing the CORNIEST (HAW HAW HAW HAW) gay anime porn title of them all!

Promo: Chibi-Tokyo (48:24 – 49:00)
Sure, Daryl made fun of uh…that one guy for spending an hour talking somewhat incoherently about Fist of the North Star for over an hour while drunk, getting various minutia wrong in the process, but that’s STILL more Fist of the North Star talk than you’ll see on other podcasts outside of Fast Karate for the Gentleman and (I guess) R5 Central! So check these guys out. This promo is a Quinn/Martin Production. Also, Eli Nouguez will die just as he lived: alone and unloved, with tears in his eyes brought about by the sores growing within his urethra preventing him from beating off to his Waita Uziga collection without experiencing incredible pain.

THE TRUTH: The Japanese Animation Convention is Decadent and Depraved, Part 1 (49:00 – 1:02:45)
Daryl Surat has noticed how all the other anime podcasts refuse to reveal THE TRUTH about anime conventions, and that’s been especially so as of late. Here’s what all the OTHER podcasters and websites don’t want you to know: anime conventions are a den of sin overrun by people whose interest in anime is but tangential or secondary to another, more primary interest, usually some freaky kink. The word has spread about anime cons being “safe” territory to practice one’s deviancies without fear of retribution, and this is the result. In the first part of yet another SHOCKING and COMPLETELY NOT DISHONEST look at anime conventions in the light of the Katsucon and Megacon reports of shows past, Daryl once again does what those OTHER convention reporters don’t have the BALLS to do, and that’s flat-out lie, deceptively edit, and plagiarize for the sake of proving his pre-conceived conclusions. Just like the real news you see on TV!

Closing (1:02:45 – 1:04:36)
This episode is about the length we originally envisioned the podcast as being (as evidenced in our early episodes) by virtue of not having Gerald’s segment. Perhaps we should put up that video of Daryl stabbing him to compensate. Next time, to make up for this week, Gerald will review Crusher Joe. Alas, it won’t be the “I’m the leader of this team, ‘CAUSE I’M THE WHINIEST!” version. Clarissa will review another “pretty boys in armor,” show named Yoroiden Samurai Troopers better known to anime fans in the US as Ronin Warriors, and Daryl will discuss the Often Overlooked (except in previous episodes of this podcast) fan favorite of decades past, Prefectural Earth Defense Force. Well, provided he rewatches it first. He was supposed to do that today, but got caught up in…editing this.

19 Replies to “Anime World Order Show # 23 – Decadence, Depravity, and Disasters”

  1. The character designer I dislike the most is Hirai “Monoface” Hirashi of Gundam SEED. Man, it’s like all his characters have the same face.

    There was a pic on 2chan that had a comparison between Muu La Fraga, Kira, and Kagari or whatever their names are, and they all look the same with the exception of hairstyles. It’s bad when the Japanese are saying that all the characters in the anime all look the same.

  2. I will say that Gerald absolutely nailed why I cannot stand to look at Keiji Gotoh’s character designs. I can’t even look at the Gatekeepers or certain of the Nadiesco DVD covers without getting a revolting feeling.

    Apart from that, I can think of a lot of designs I hate, but not any designers whose work I’ve consistently hated. One standout is the character designs in the Azumanga Daioh Very Short Movie, where everyone looks like they’re made of polished latex or somesuch.

  3. The fatal element in Keiji Gotoh’s character designs is that thing where the whites of the eye entirely surround the pupil. Mussolini had this too, and while it works well for fascism, it does a pretty girl no good at all. If Ruri hadn’t been written to be the Droopy Dog of anime, her eyes would have opened all the way, and she never would have become the deeply disturbing idol that she is.

  4. (Steve)

    I can’t comment on chara designers I dislike because I r not smrt enough to know all the names…I hate trying to translate people’s names, I usually get it wrong.

    Anyway, it’s less about the designer nowadays then who does the cleanup, which is the final ‘look’ we see. Capt. Harlock is Leiji’s boy, but it’s Komatsubara’s cleanup that makes him live and breathe.

    I was going thru some old Gundam books, old as in published in 1980 before all the current retconning kicked in, back when a Zaku was just a Zaku and not MS-06R(bis) and the like, and I am just floored by the beauty and energy of Yasuhiko’s chara designs. Every Single Character is a *person*, each and every one, from the main cast to the 10 frame throwaway extras.

    You don’t see that alot nowadays, sad to say, and I think it somehow filters down into the overall blandness…but would today’s fans even *notice* such things? Perhaps another branch of the TRUTH to be sought….

  5. Great to hear the Truth back, but I actually prefered Daryl’s old style of naration, the more documentary-esque one, rather than the newer, faster news style one. Oh well. Good to have it back. And publish the Spriggan review! Or I’ll watch it! And I’ll even buy the dvd rather than d/ling!

  6. Daryl Surat is the bravest man alive. Braver even than the King Kong Godzilla Space Mummy, who isn’t really a man at all… so I guess he can’t really be counted.

    Anyway!

    Goddang. I spend my one anime convention a year cloistered at an artist’s table, drinking Rumplemintz from a coke bottle. Usually the worst I have to deal with is people telling me how photoshopping larger cans and a tentacle rape scene onto Naga from Slayers constitutes high art.

    Well, actually… that’s not that great.

    A bit disappointed that Gerald’s segment was axed, because everyone knows that Spriggan is the GREATEST MOVIE EVER and is beyond reproach. I would like to have listened to his feeble catterwauling on the subject, confident that the movie is above all forms of menial human cricism.

    Seriously, it was all like “VROOM! VROOM! CAR CHASE! O SHIT MONOFILAMENT WIRE!! O GODDAM!! NOAH’S ARK IS A ROCK AND IT’S A FISH!! DINOSAURS!!!! THE END!!

    How can you argue with a movie like that? It’s pure poetry!

    Seriously though, delightful show. You three are always the highlight of my boring work week. Best podcast on the intertron!

    For worst character designers: Someone seriously needs to cold cock Masami Obari and, though he’s only tertiarily related to anime, someone needs to KILL Peter Chung. I’ll take creepy bug eyes over 6’9 85 pound amazonian women with hands for feet any day.

  7. you really should start numbering your p3 podcast files. the way it is now, my podcasting software overwrites the old episode since it has the same filename and thats baaaad…

  8. What is a “p3 podcast file” and what podcasting software are you using? If you meant to say “MP3 podcast file,” the filenames are already numbered, aren’t they? For example, the filename for Show # 23 is AnimeWorldOrder-2006-06-15-023.mp3, where 2006-06-15 is the date of the episode’s release and 023 is the episode number. Let me know what you mean by this, since every episode has been named accordingly and nobody else has brought this up.

    Gilles, it appears that this blog template doesn’t really seem to like Firefox all that much so your URL got truncated. However, after checking this page in IE, the link you’ve provided is identical to the one which is already in the show notes. I even left a comment and posted a video clip of the Life Master that made it onto Fox News a few weeks back. Expect that one to pop up again during the AWA Panel OF DOOM. 🙂

    Interesting how more people seem to be contacting me asking for Gerald’s axed Spriggan segment than Gerald’s dolorous and severe beating at the hands of Daryl Surat. More interesting still is Dave Merrill’s observation that Moe Burger and Hooter’s have much in common. Perhaps Stevie B should be consulted on this.

  9. Quick Suggestion:

    You guys(and girl) should make an episode with the segments you have cut out…or you could just put up the rest of the Patrick Macias interview which would be extremely awesome.

  10. I never really thought much about Masaki Kajishima before you mentioned him, but now that you have, I’m inclined to agree. He’s not a bad artist by any stretch, but it seemed like he was involved in almost everything AIC did during the 90s, making a lot of the recurring elements of his style seem cliche and perhaps even annoying.

    It’s not a problem limited to anime, either – Tetsuya Nomura has become involved in so much of the Square-Enix output as of late that so many of his “quirks” have become almost embarassingly cliche. You can only have Zipperstrap McSpikyhair as a hero so many times before it starts getting tiresome.

    Also, if you can’t do all of the Jojo manga, maybe you could just do Steel Ball Run? While prior knowledge of the series helps, SBR can be read as a standalone story, since it’s an alternate universe interpretation of the Jojo cast. It’s also absolutely fucking insane, which is why I love it so very much. Oh Araki, don’t ever change <3

  11. (Steve)

    So I’m behind the times and never took a look at the Enoki Films site.

    Mother of God, there is no justice in the world.

    they’re fucking sitting on BRYGER!

    Yes, Sub Super 99 would be nice to have, and Firestorm would be cool but…

    BRYGER. BRYGER.

    J9 J9 Nasake muyo!

    I weep bitter tears. Even if pity is useless.

  12. Holy Christ, what is that Ravedactyl shit?! I went to the website and I couldn’t find out what it or Civilian Justice was about.

  13. Anonymous said…
    (Steve)
    So I’m behind the times and never took a look at the Enoki Films site.
    Mother of God, there is no justice in the world.
    they’re fucking sitting on BRYGER!

    The truth hurts don’t it! (You’d think some channel wouldn’t mind showing ‘Flash Kicker” either)

    Yes, Sub Super 99 would be nice to have, and Firestorm would be cool but…
    BRYGER. BRYGER.
    J9 J9 Nasake muyo!
    I weep bitter tears. Even if pity is useless.

    Being reminded Enoki Films also once had the “Crusher Joe” movie, for which a crappy Jim Terry/Kidpix dub got produced in the late ’80s, and was hinted in this week’s podcast. Thankfully they don’t have that anymore, but it was laughable listening to an Eddie Deezen-esque Joe and his whiny, thick-accented cohorts in that edited edition (“He shot me with silent invisible bullets!”).

    Have to admit one thing though, this has been the shortest episode in a long while! (wasn’t sure if I even want to hear about Spriggan at all)

  14. Just for the record…I read the show notes for the links regarding further information on reviewed anime and/or obscure references made during the show.

  15. I actually prefered Daryl’s old style of naration, the more documentary-esque one, rather than the newer, faster news style one.

    Oh come on — I’m not to only one who gets the reference am I? Don’t let me down.

    And if you want something more depraved than the Kentucky Derby or Jacon, then allow me to tell you of the time I went to a Star Trek convention in Orlando (the things I did just because a girl asked me…the shameful, shameful things) and found myself invited to a private party in which some people were going to put on a simulation of Klingon sex. Talk about educational…

  16. Given the fact that Japan is a country where you can actually go to a training school that prepares you with the best equipment and techniques for taking clandestine upskirt and public restroom photos, surely the “No Photos” policy of a Moe Burger is nothing more than a feeble challenge.

    Now when do we get the cage match between Moe Burger and Mos Burger?

  17. The picture links aren’t working! 🙁 [They are all fixed now. For this post, anyway; Blogger seems to now block site hotlinking. –Daryl]

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