*Originally written January 2, 2020.
No complaints from me to start the year.
"You changed the channel?"
I do not know if that reaction from my better quarter (Eva the Cat gets half) would count. It was not the reaction I expected when switching from hour 38 or Syfy's annual "Twilight Zone" marathon to watch AEW. That and her thinking that "Hurt" was a Johnny Cash song, inspirations for resolutions are developing.
So that is one complaint, the lack of Nine Inch Nail knowledge was established before the end of the last decade. But I am now complaining, may as well throw in the weed crowds. After revisiting "The Rise of Skywalker", herbal assistance in writing my proper ending to what should have been a quadrilogy would have been nice (If you want to judge whether or not I could handle that task, ask for a treatment of my zombie-pro-wrestling, B-movie comedy, "Main Event of the Dead". Drop me an email at russthebus07@gmail.com).
Talking about the unsatisfying conclusion to the sequels is redundant. It is "Star Wars". I can watch these over and over again and keep discovering new things to keep my interest and, for the most part, forgive the creative short comings.
My most recent observation about the "Skywalker Saga" is that "Return of the Jedi" was all it could be, hence satisfying. Yoda with a lightsaber is all you could have asked for. Ewoks are not that bad.
The most important observation though is that it has been confirmed that Mace Windu is dead. Motherfucker was featured in the Jedi pep talk, and all of his friends were dead. Save him for my pair of sequels. I did have a fun tweet about it (@mainteventzombie).
Too bad #RiseofSkywalker pretty much confirms @SamuelLJackson's Mace Windu death. I though he survived the fall and his arm landed in @JurassicWorld.
And I came up with that one sober. Imagine what I would say high. My biggest problem with the weed lines was, if you are waiting hour(s) for the legal stuff, you probably kept up on the illegal stuff despite the announced change in law. Did you burn through it before 11:59 pm, December 31? Leave some for those who do not have hook ups.
*Originally written January 3, 2020
The new year has started off busy. I have yet to try catching up on The Ringer or AV Club stories. Between paying bills and Donald Trump acting like a Young Bosnian (or a stereotypical American), my time at a physical keyboard to type is scarse. With "Wild Cardz (a.k.a. Jaja-uma Quartet)" being so brief, it may be easy for me to forget this anime if the ramblings of Bill Simmons, Shea Serrano, and Binge Mode will need to take a backseat.
"Wild Cardz" Worth $5.00
I am still a decade behind when it comes to catching up on anime. Growing up with VHS tapes as the media of the time, there were no such things as season box sets. You bought an hour at a time for $25 to $30 a tape and you liked it. Television was probably the reason for the demise of the distributers that I grew up with like A.D.V. Films and Central Park Media, whom distributed "Wild Cardz" a two-episode OVA (original video animation) that the creators were definitely hoping to make more of. Selling off the international rights must have been Studio Ox's only hope.
The Card Kingdom is protected by four young women serving as the Crown Knights: Joe Diamond, Casa Club, Coco Heart, and Sunday Spade. With their card-themed powers, they have allowed for a relatively crime-free and safe nation. That is until UFOs arrive that are shaped like chess pieces.
Their first reactions seem to panic for their peoples safety, but things only become more confusing when the pieces start attacking each other. At least with invaders, you know what to expect. With metal kaijus using your kingdom as a battleground with no known motives, how are you to stop them and the petty criminals who think they have found an equalizer to the Jaja-uma Quartet's power? The provocative outfits may distract them, but that will not be enough for the Wild Cardz to pass this new test.
I may actually be two decades behind when it comes to Japanese-animated series. It seems all the new series are sent to television to start. Fans would watch them on IFC, Adult Swim's Toonami and streaming platforms. They either had more time or are just more dedicated than I to watch all of the episodes first airings to determine if they needed that season in their collections.
With everything pretty much being streamed now, what is the point of buying DVDs? The point is, I do not think about anime until I am at an FYE or Best buy. Thank the gods for Makoto Shinkai.
My anime collecting is pretty much based on the old titles that I can find at used media places. Their selections are usually comprised of seasons that tend to be overpriced (especially if out of print) and random discs from the time when you had to complete sets. For the most part, I cannot find the start of the seasons, so I tend to just buy old and brief OVAs. If they are brief, the quality is definitely going to be a question. Again, that is why I think A.D.V. and Central Park Media went under. You cannot buy stuff just for the sake of buying stuff.
Except if it under five bucks, then it is worth a gamble like "Wild Cardz". If that is not an appropriate title...
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This anime must have been counting on its source material (manga) fans to buy it. There is hardly any exposition which is kind of a let down for a magical girl anime. Each protagonist is fun, but without knowing how or why they are the way they are, they do not seem to have any substance.
There is some oversexualization of the girls, but not nearly enough to please those who bought it because it was from the director of "New Cutey Honey". If you want that, may I suggest "Burn-Up W". The first episode establishes the entire universe, and while there is not a lot of exposition, our armed, feminine stars do not have back stories that need to be immediately flushed out.
If you are watching "Wild Cardz", you are just there for the ride. The character designs are traditional and up my alley, but OVA quality is suppose to be close to theatrical animation at the time, so the box art is "Jaja-uma Quartet" at its finest. If you are not a fan of all the tropes of anime (pervy villains, over-reacting faces, sexy silliness in place of violence, etc.), this title is pretty empty. Fortunately with an eighth of a fifth of Tito's Handmade Vodka, this was a fun start to the new decade.
"Wild Cardz" is not a title that you should use to introduce people to anime with, but it is fun if you are already initiated into the fandom. It is pretty inoffensive, so for just an hour of your time, you cannot go wrong. Provided you get it at a decent discount of course. Here is to hoping your disc will not be scratched.
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