Imagine We Still Had VHS: Burn-Up W (and Burn Up Morton, IL)

 *This blog post was started on September 16, 2022.

It is actually getting late for me this Friday. As always, I air fry some wings to watch "AEW Rampage". When I have to be back at the retailer at 7:30 am, a 10 pm stop time means that I would be wise to hit the bong and call it a night. But my belly is just settling down by then.

Again, time management is not my strongest skill. Groceries and a haircut came after work and I cleaned up my apartment a bit, but aside from getting my My Faction award for today from "WWE 2K22", it feels that I just lost three hours. That is kind of depressing. This leaves me wondering if I will be able to type out a well written review for 1996's "Burn Up W".

Granted, "Burn Up W" was one of my first favorite anime series when I first got nerdy about this style of animation. The first volume (This was a 30-35 minute OVA series released one episode at a time), "Skin Dive" was a great entry point to capture my fellow Morton High School classmates curiosity. Too bad they were sex-driven teenagers. I showed them "Neon Genesis Evangelion" afterwards, but that somehow did not grab their attention.

After watching "Clerks 3" this past Tuesday, my disdain for the town keeps amassing. Thank the gods that the town cannot possibly have a social gathering on Sundays.

Fucking Apostolic Christians. This faith is kind of for wusses. They make their women cover all of their legs with skirts, but why the ladies allow for that is beyond me. Show me an Apostolic suicide bomber, and I may take them seriously. When I shout all that, it does not surprise me that half of my friends were treating anime like issues of "Playboy". It was a dirty window into another world. They were not interested in philosophy. Why question the dominant faith in a town where most of them were in the one-percent?

Despite my mocking of these "good" Christians, ironically the town's traditions means that I will miss the Pumpkin Festival when I return Sunday to pick up my replacement Apple Watch. The theme was a tribute to the 1980's. If you do not have VH-1's budget, do not try it. For fuck sake, it will probably be a Reagan circle jerk and calls to vote for the women-hating fascist Darren Bailey.

If a town made for the one percent wants to celebrate the Eighties, cocaine better have been flowing through the streets the last three days. At least do one thing right.

And I thought I was not going to be able to give you any insight into my mind this week. Just thinking about how the town does not appreciate art brings it out of me. Aside from not appreciating art, they do not appreciate their fellow man. Thus, why "Clerks 3" further hurt me. A village came to make Kevin Smith's a name in indie cinema, but fuck Russ Stevens and his dreams. If they are not about encouraging the importance of lessons about states' rights in the 1860's, they are worthless.

Now I think my vitriol about my hometown is seemingly obsessive. There was an easier transition to my thoughts about the adventures of Tokyo City's premier, all-female police strike force. In high school, I had developed a third anime website dedicated to kick ass, overly sexualized women. There was nothing too crazy about the "Iria: Zeiram the Animation" side of it, but when it came to "Burn Up W", I had Duran Duran midis playing in the background that were dedicated to each episode. The main protagonist is named Rio after all.

Pardon me for just focusing on the best things about the decade of my birth instead of how my hometown will fuck that up.

Imagine We Still Had VHS: "Martiann Successor Nadesico" Episodes 1-3

*This blog post was started on August 17, 2022.

Convention season is over, so it is back to trying to come up with time to watch movies. And of course, "House of Dragons" is going to debut Sunday, so that may all get thrown to the side. It is bad enough that I am behind on video games to play, but there is still "WestWorld" to return to.

At least my job, staffing wise, is settling in. This means I should not have too many early shifts. Time should be more manageable. Outside of time management, things seem to be going pretty well. I do feel like a conclusion to this physical existence would be nice, but that is more prevalent when I am stoned, trying to fall asleep. Every morning I wake up, so let us continue.

As for continuing my writing, it seems tricky. I say that, and immediately think, "Come up with some fiction". The environment just does not seem right. When I wrote "Main Event of the Dead", there was a better social environment. My script writing started during my relationship with Cindy and carried over to my second stint at Illinois Central College with my best friend Stefanie Smith. Once my relationship with her concluded, no one seemed to give a shit about my efforts. If it was not for my time in hospitality, writing about my Schrodinger-like existence, there would be no practice in writing.

The issue is finding stuff to practice. I do not have the cynical drunks to inspire my satire. Thus, it is up to movies and wrestling. Movies get "NinetyForChill: The #Podcast", so criticism with aspirations of a Pulitzer is lost. As for wrestling, since I concluded "Rip'Em System: Vince McMahon's Mein Kampf", it has been dependent on ranking the performers based around championships. WWE's lazy booking has made constantly writing about that a challenge.

Thankfully, Pluto TV and Tubi have allowed me to go back to what started the development of my writing skills, pre-Toonami anime and anime not flashy enough for Funimation. These streamers spare me from gambling on my VHS tape deck successfully playing my scores of tapes.

Ironically, the series I chose to revisit was the last set of VHS tapes that I devoted to colleting completely, "Martian Successor Nadesico". I will need to revisit "Gundam Wing" to determine if this is my second favorite giant mecha series. At least that means I have the next anime I will need to discuss lined up (This was stated before I saw the series was covered on this blog.).

Or should I watch "Macross Plus" or "Dual! Parallel Trouble Adventure". Keep circulating the tapes (and tomorrow will be dedicated to "Rifftrax: The Return of Swamp Thing").

Martian Successor Nadesico: Episodes 1-3

Pinterest @rpgzero

By 2196, humanity has colonized space as far out as Mars. All seems well until an alien force, presumed to be from Jupiter, started to expand the reach of their empire to the inner planets of the solar system. Little is known about the Jovian "lizards" except that their gravity-based weaponry is far superior than anything Earth's United Forces has to offer. It was only a matter of time before the Jovian forces had conquered the Moon and Mars.

Like in the late 20the century, galactic expansion is not a big deal to most humans, so as long as they can fend off the invaders, they just blow off the attacks. Except for Akito Tenkawa, a fry cook who unexplainedly ended up on Earth after the first Jovian attack on Mars. Suffering from PTSD, he cannot hold down a job down and is shunned for having nanotechnology in his body that is necessary to operate any machinery on Mars, but is only used by mech pilots on Earth.

He is seen only as a coward, but his fortunes are about to change after a loose suitcase falls from the trunk of a car and crashes into his bike. The passenger is nice enough to help Akito out, but thinks there is a deeper connection between the two of them. As her car pulls away, Akito finds a picture left behind. This photograph is of him and an obnoxious girl as children. Akito realizes that the girl who he just ran into is Yurika Misumaru. She may have the answers about the demise of his parents the day her and her admiral father left Mars.

Akito follows her to a Nergal Heavy Industries facility, a private military contractor. Screaming Yurika's name the entire way to the base, he is obviously detained. Prospector, the civilian liaison for Nergal, questions Akito and after hearing his story, takes pity on the Martian and offers him a job as a cook on the new space fortress Nadesico. It is not ideal for a traumatized war survivor, but at least it give him a place to belong. And of course the Jovians are quick to attack.

Panics takes over and Akito takes a giant mech, an Aestivalis, to escape. Soon the captain of the Nadesico messages him calling on him to serve as a distraction to allow the ship to launch. Cowardice is not even a thought to the captain because the captain is Yurika. Akito seems to be a natural pilot and is the hero of the day as the Nadesico defeats the Jovians with little effort.

This is the first victory for Earth in the war with the Jovians, but the United Forces are not pleased. Nergal has no intention to provide the ship to the UF because they are not about to defend earth when there are so many humans left behind during the retreats from the colonies and answers to be obtained. The UF cannot afford to let a civilian battleship operate independently and will do whatever they can to stop them from leaving on their mission.

Akito needs answers about his parents and what happen to the Martian colonists, so he will put his culinary aspirations on the back burner to defend the ship. With the support of Yurika and the "Gekiganger III" anime-obsessed pilot Gai Daigoji, his fear will not stop him from defending those he cares about.

I have always thought that giant mech anime was played out as I was getting into anime. Central Park Media's mascot was "MD Geist". "Robotech" and "Voltron" were the first two animes to break big stateside in the 1980s. Anime intrigued me because of the drama and adult themes that it suggested animation was capable of. Not action that can be seen on "Mighty Morphing Power Rangers".

The only reason that I got into "Neon Genesis Evangelion" was because of its reputation as the greatest series ever. That series provides all the drama and symbolism I wanted, so it may have left me hungry for mecha as a means to tell stories. By the time "Evangelion" had concluded (As in, all the VHS tapes made it stateside.), I was ready for a new series.

Being an elitist, "Gundam Wing" on Toonami was not going to be enough. I was a fan of ADV Films ahead of all other American distributors, so I just presumed "Martian Successor Nadesico" was the next "Evangelion". To my joy, this is a more luscious looking series that took the piss out of my favorite franchise and celebrated geekdom that "Excel Saga" was yet to do.

The comedy is always present but drama is never ignored. It is exactly how I like to cope. If you want to focus on taking things seriously, you lose track of the present. Laugh your way through trauma because you need to get to the future.

I can see where many would think that is poor storytelling. If the writers do not take things seriously, why should the audience? My counter is that there is enough overly dramatic bollocks out there. After the intensity of "Evangelion", this is the break mech fans need.

The character design might deter some. It also does not take itself too seriously. This especially apparent with juxtaposing the story to the events occurring in the binge of "Gekigengar III" that Akito is on during his free time between cooking and piloting. I find it to be a clever storytelling device, but others may see it as an affront to a genre that they take way too seriously.

"Dual" maybe the series that better suits them since it has a "Tenchi Muyo!/El Hazard" vibe when it comes to deconstructing giant robot anime, but that is for fans of boy as the center of obsessed girls' universe. This series was a new approach to a tried genre of anime, and it should be admired for that. Add in great themes songs, and I think it is worth a view by any Japanese animation fan.

"Martian Successor Nadesico" is a great entry point for people that want to dabble into anime. It offers fan service, but not excessive to the point where the audiences thinks that it is trying to sell sex. The battles are fun, but not trying to sell the audience on gore. Unless you want Shakespearian drama, the humor does not take anything away from the series.

"Nadesico's" only fault could be that you do know it is still a cartoon. I do not see that as a bad thing, but some nerds want something to transcend a medium. This is a show that is not ashamed of being just entertainment and amusing an audience. Can you blame them for wanting a large one?

Imagine We Still Had VHS: Ultraviolet: Code 044

*This blog post was started on July 15, 2022.

I think that I am nearly recovered from Fan Expo Chicago 2022. The cats were kind enough to let me literally sleep through half of my day off. There was also a degree of relief to realize that my current work week is only five consecutive days. That makes the lack of a two-day weekend for the foreseeable future an easier thing to swallow. The finances are great despite a trip to an entertainment convention.

Poshmark: $20 too much mstone4200.

Can you believe that I made it out of Rosemont with only purchasing two Funko Pop! bobbleheads? Only one was purchased at the con on top of that.

Still, the exhaustion has lead to bit of a lack of content creation motivation. With two podcasts already recorded and an easy to binge third podcast to compose, I have not watched a movie since "The Producers" on Sunday the third. Because there is a lack of stress to binge sub 100-minute films, my intention for the next couple of weeks is to catch up on features with runtimes that are greater than 100 minutes (Thanks Starz [And ThePoeticCritic for requiring me to subscribe to watch "The Cable Guy" for NinetyForChill: The #Podcast's Jim Carrey Episode.] for throwing up "Spider-Man: No Way Home" on your platform.) and binge the series(s) that I meant to for Fan Expo. There is also a lot of video game stuff for me to clear up to get to "Pokémon Legends: Arceus". Where is the time to come up with blogs?

Time is still something that I have difficulty managing. Thus, wanting to get to bed at a reasonable hour means more than a hundred minutes is difficult to obtain. It is tough to find 90 minutes. Thankfully, television determines 22 minutes equals 30 minutes. This lead to a dive into my unwatched anime vault. 

66 minutes is easy enough to manage. When one of these anime's is inspired by a worse ("Equilibrium" is bad.) Kurt Wimmer movie, the thought of 28 minutes less of "Ultraviolet" is one that can be stomached easily.

Ultraviolet: Code 044 (Eps 1-3).

It has been 60 years since the hemophage virus had divided the human race. The Central Government has declared that those infected are no longer human and must be annihilated, not just from the Earth, but all corners of the galaxy. Their efforts on their home world have been very successful. Off world, the wise phage named King has been able the rally the outcasts to a position of strength with aspirations of creating their own government in the asteroid belt.

The Central Government's primary weapons are clones who have been infected with the hemophage virus, so they can utilize the superhuman, vampiric abilities of their target while being docile to their masters. These clones maybe stronger than humans, but the virus will kill them eventually. Five years of service is all that is expected. This applies to even the government's best agent, 44.

44 is the most efficient disposal agent. Her youth leads many of her targets lowering their guard. Her determination to make the most of her short life makes her seemingly invincible. But, she was infected at 14. She has just turned 19. With little time to fulfill her purpose, she is off to the colony of Neo-Tokio to stop King.

This is the furthest away from government supervision that she has been. With this freedom and yearning to truly understand her existence, will she have the focus to succeed in her task? Or, will the new conditions allow her to reconsider her purpose? One government will fall, but it may not be the one she intended to take down.

Imagine We Still Had VHS: "Black Lagoon" Episodes 1-3

*This blog post was started on June 22, 2022.

If you are looking for insight into my life right now, I think you are better off listening to my podcast, "NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast". Without a guest for this past week, you get to hear everything about me that has been on my mind. This includes my war with YouTube over the abundance of advertisements for hateful, racist, and fascist Congressman Rodney Davis.

Today, one of the ads put ahead of WrestleTalk's content (They are based out of the UK, so I cannot fault them for Republican advertisements during their videos.) was for Google's Mental Health Awareness channels. You cannot have it both ways Alphabet. If you promote someone who approves child murder and the Blue Lives Matter flag on top of wanting to take reproductive rights away from women, you cannot turn around and say, "watch a video to feel better." You can fuck right off.

Needless to say, I am not going out of my way to create content for YouTube. Thank you Alphabet for allowing to run down this Windows 10 laptop. The credit is there right now to get myself a Mac.

My war with tech monopolies goes beyond Android. I think Twitter is boycotting any links that do not have a full file name (html/php) that involves death. How am I suppose to promote my primary blog, "Main Event of the Dead" (maineventofthedead.com)? Is Elon Musk calling for an end to zombie movies? Is this a conspiracy to show Mark Zuckerberg has some understanding of being human since I can promote my website on that platform.

Alphabet has given Rodney Davis $10,000 in campaign donations. Technology is going to destroy my new home. I do not need anymore irony in my life. Champaign/Urbana is where the Internet started. My Congressmen is going to use technology to destroy it.

At least this rant gives me a transition to the anime review. "Black Lagoon" is a series that is celebrated for its violence and humor, at least on Looper and Watch Mojo, but rarely do they tell you the perspective that you are suppose to assume when you watch. That is of an early 20-something who is fed up with corporate life. If you are fed up with expectations of Western society, this series seems tailor made for you.

Pinterest @Valkyriaz_

Black Lagoon: Episode 1-3

Rokuro Okajima is a 25 year-old salaried employee at a major Japanese corporation. It was what you are to aspire to do as a Japanese man, and to succeed at this, you are expected to take orders and go through all the motions be it excessive bowing or excessive drinking to appease the higher ups. The latter expectations will be addressed later. As for the prior being taking orders, Okajima's latest task is to transport a disc to an organization with questionable motivations. Following orders to advance may lead to a sense of naivety. So he is caught by surprise when pirates decide to take him hostage.

Well, the pirates did not mean to take him hostage. The crew's loose cannon Revy wants to make a little extra money from Rokuro's company. She fails to realize that they have already written off their employee and has gone straight to mercenaries to reclaim the disc at any cost. At least Rokuro has gotten an honorary promotion and assurances that his funeral will be paid by the company.

Not wanting to die has given Rokuro's a new perspective towards his life. He has decided to fight with his captors to save his own neck. If he can get out of this scrape, perhaps he has new job opportunities ahead of him. All he has to do is figure out how to destroy a heavily armored helicopter with the Black Lagoon, a PT Boat with a couple of torpedoes and an anti-tank rifle.

Imagine We Still Had VHS: Speed Grapher: Volume Two

 *This blog post was started on April 20, 2022.

I have a lot of things on my plate, but there is a sense of relief after getting past my latest unemployment hearing. Money was a stressing factor, but everything seems to be in order. Hopefully, the wise judge (He understood that whatever I was writing was satirical) will rule in my favor, and to Marine Bank's credit, there was only one lie on their side (My branch never had monthly one-on-one coaching.).

It was acknowledged that they (or at least the branch manager) knew I was writing my blog at work, so that may clear me over two counts of misconduct. I brought up my case that they fired me because I stated my opinion when it was requested in the annual review. The best revelation that came from this was that the actual inciting incident which led to my unwarranted termination was revealed. So, revenge is the new thought consuming my mind.

Am I going to be a better person than the person who wanted my job? We will wait until I get the ruling.

Otherwise, Ebertfest costing $200 is not cool. It is fair if you are going to every movie, but Marine Bank has made it so that I do not get the luxury. $20 a ticket is fair for a 35 mm movie showing, but my $90 fee for 4-days of Wizard World in 2019 included the chance to see Fred Durst's film "The Fan" (starring John Travolta and Devon Sawa). After the "Gothika" DVD included the music video for Limp Bizkit's "Behind Blues Eyes" as a special feature, Durst's cinematic involvement must be stopped.

The six hundred dollars I am fighting for would make life easier, be it my medical bills or car insurance, but it turns out that my debt will not be that bad. If I can somehow get my podcast, "NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast" sponsored, all would be right with the world. If anyone has any suggestions on how my podcast can earn me $100 a week, let me know with an email to russthebus07@gmail.com.

If there is any frustration right now when it comes to my podcast, it is that I have no time for a guest this week, nor the time to binge a bunch of movies from "Ally's Accessories Shop on Etsy's Trash Feature Revue". Here is to hoping that I will meet someone at "Ghost World" who will want to chat. Anyone know where I can a press pass?

It makes me wonder, does NinetyForChill.com make me a journalist? I am making as much money as one. After revisiting "Speed Grapher", I know photos are not going make that extra money. But, this anime series does suggest that there is a lot of trouble that can be had, provided you are rescuing an abused heiress. Gods know that I thrive with trouble.

Speed Grapher: Episodes 5 - 8

*This blog post was resumed on April 21, 2022.

I will be up front, haste seems to be dominating my life. There is a need for immediate answers to problems that may be able to wait. My intent was to review the first four episodes, but life got in the way for the podcast, thus, my immediate memory of the finer details was lost. Returning to them seemed redundant, thus I chose to move forward.

Even now, I want my mind to be clear when I review this series. AEW Dynamite will wait, but since Fite.TV decided to disable VPNs to watch it commercial fee, my life is running behind. Things will not be order till I watch it, so pardon me if the series does not receive the respect, but more importantly the understanding that is so desperately deserves.

And that attitude proves I did some research to know that this Gonzo title is not as beloved as "Welcome to the NHK" or "Hellsing". To that end, shame on the so called anime fans.

After defeating the rubber Euphoric assassin/ballet dancer, heiress Kaguya Tennozu and Euphoric photographer Tatsumi Saiga are on the run. It is a greater challenge that Saiga anticipated since Kaguya has never gotten to experience the little things in her life. She is confused by about everything be it the deliciousness a cup of instant ramen or how to behave on a subway. This is all due to her mother Shinsen and her right hand man, Mr. Suitengu, resorting to keeping her locked away in the corporate tower.

Shinsen hates the beauty that her daughter has become while Suitengu seems sympathetic toward Kaguya's plight despite his exceptionally cold demeanor. But that does not excuse him for using his goddess to amuse the hedonists at the Roppongi Club. All of the key politicians, businessmen, and celebrities of Japan seem to belong to this club despite the immense membership fees. Failure to meet the clubs demands results in forfeiture of all assets usually via death by "suicide" to fulfill a the life insurance policy that accompanies club membership.

Some lucky few can serve the club and avoid the debt. They are the Euphorics, those blessed by the Goddess's kiss to unlock the true potential of their passion. Their services are needed to recapture Kaguya because fate seemed to allow Saiga that blessing. Now, whenever Saiga takes a picture with any camera, the focus of the shot will explode providing him the power to capture the life in the frame.

Saiga's neighbor Bob has arranged it so the two can hide at a drag bar ran by his "sister" David. As for Suitengu's cronies, they are escorting Madame Kaganei to face off with him. She is a Euphoric whose obsession and need for diamonds has allowed her to turn her body into the hardest substance in the natural world while being translucent. But, she has significant debt to the club, so she might have her own reasons to take Kaguya as her own hostage. Of course if she fails with either plan, Suitengu has a teeth-polishing obsessed Euphoric on standby.

"Speed Grapher" has been a divisive series. My best friend who has definitely lived through some wild and traumatic times enjoyed the envelopes that the story pushed while Ally of Ally's Accessories Shop found it to be too disturbing. Perhaps as schizophrenic or as a sheltered, god-fearing Midwestern woman, the concept of a conspiracy to sexualize and abuse a teenage girl while claiming it to be the victim's own imagination is everything she ever feared.

Some critics think that the themes are solely for shock. I feel that by the end of the series, it all pays off in a socialist's dream with some jabs at George W. Usually, three episodes is the most that I like to watch when I ask to "Imagine this was on VHS", but I am amused how the episodes tend to play out like "Highlander: The Series". Lets give our protagonist an hour to defeat the latest gimmicked bad guy and move on. "Speed Grapher" is an improvement on this formula because it has an overarching plot.

A lot of anime series start out like this, but then tend to fall into filler episodes until the director realizes that he has to work towards a conclusion. This is not as epic as "Evangelion", but I cannot recall this series ever falling into just having fan service episodes. By Volume 3, most of the shock efforts are subdued and it is just about Saiga and Kaguya's efforts to be happy in a world where money determines everything.

When bringing up "Evangelion", I will acknowledge the animation is not up to that standard. The style is far more unique than most series, but it does not look as sharp and vivid as "Hellsing" or many series from the early noughties. It depends on how you like your anime when it comes to the style. Do you want it to feel more like a manga or loud like "Dragon Ball Z"? My preference is towards the prior, especially when the narrative has a noir vibe.

"Speed Grapher" is definitely a grown up anime, so I can see the lack and care for universal appeal can turn off your casual fans of the genre. It is a narrative that wants to push the envelope by attacking your fears and urges, not just rely on nudity and violence. The dark art and casual animation fits the story perfectly.

This is a series for those who want an independent film vibe. As an aspiring, traumatized artist, "Speed Grapher" is perfect entertainment. Here's hoping you are living the naive peaceful life instead.

Pinterest @ashitanojoe76

  *This blog post was started on March 9, 2022.

Imagine We Still Had VHS: Quack Experimental Anime: Excel Saga

I had composed my wrestling blog post three days ago for "Disgruntled's Real Championship Wrestling". The following night I produced the latest episode for "NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast". Otherwise, my life has been devoted to work. With the lack of interactions outside of retail, do I have anything to blog about?

There is only so much of my past that I can bury on Twitter (@catbusruss). OSF Healthcare will not fulfill my prescription requests since I cannot use their services under the health insurance that Marine Bank had left me turning to. Those thoughts were released into the world. I suppose I should open up the benefit package document my retailer has given me, but do you expect me to have the energy to do anything when I get home at 8 pm?

It is not my employer's fault. Out of principle, I do not mind that my 40-hour week job is only opened 56 hours a week. The consistency is nice and no one can be upset about what their schedule is. Marine Bank having 11 hour days can result in team miscommunication. One shift, one team feels like it makes a lot of sense. Again, the only problem is that it takes up all of our day. Are we to be expected not to sleep in as late to opening as we can?

Discipline might be my problem. Getting a new doctor should not be difficult if I chose to wake up when the rest of the world opens. But, here I am writing and taking advantage of using a VPN and Fite TV. Wrestling will have to wait so that I can try and show "Excel Saga" the praise it deserves.

So my Tuesday night was not totally wasted. My anime A to Z website is just two letters away. I will acknowledge that it was quite the stretch to make this installment the Q representative. If only the Japanese would not focus so much on princesses, weird Wikipedia searches would not be involved.

Excel Saga (1999): Episodes 1 - 3

Excel is the epidemy of hyper anime girls. She is a recent high school graduate obsessed with Lord Il Palazzo, the leader of the secret, ideological organization Across. This affection is not returned, but her naivety this keeps her focused on the goal to win his affection and help Across purify the corrupt F-City.

Il Palazzo seems to be a wise leader. World domination is his goal, but you cannot afford to screw up. When the only other members of Across are the anemic alien princess, Hyatt, and Excel's emergency food supply, Menchi the Mutt, baby steps are definitely the way to go.

Excel has enthusiasm but not much else. She is oblivious to how the world perceives her efforts and those who seem to have a role to play in her destiny. It is a shame because it is quite the rogues gallery of weirdos. There is the afro-sporting, Martian-fighting, super spy Nabeshin. Somehow, the three neighbors of struggling 20-something men, the driven Watanabe, the care-free Iwata, and the silent Sumiyoshi, must have a role to play in her life.

Despite Excel's efforts to blend in at part-time jobs, they seem to always result in tragedy. Thankfully, the Great Will of the Macrocasm is more than willing to reset her adventures. Provided the will is not abusing the desperate Pedro, a immigrant laborer trying to regain the love of his sexy wife and loving son.

With every reset of the space-time continuum, the scenarios if F-City seem to change. Excel's world can be an ode to the manga that bore her into existence, a space opera, and even an 80s' action movie. A constantly changing world and a history of failures, is Excel capable of bringing peace and the ideals of Across to F-City? Until her stomach is filled, I do not think she cares.

This was my best effort to try and capture the charm of my VHS tape box for "The Doom Generation". When are we going to get the whole of Gregg Araki's filmography on streaming? Basically, that box summarizes everything in the movie while putting emphasis on driving off eating Doritos.

Lily C.A.T. - #Anime Admiration for @thehorrormaster and Dan O'Bannon

  *This blog post was started on February 2, 2022.

Lily C.A.T. - An #Anime Ode to John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon

I have been just trying to hang in there. That includes putting my scheduled time at the retail gig despite the snow storm. Perhaps it is wrong to mention my day's events. Some would consider that a breach of confidentiality. If someone were to take an inventory of what businesses were open in Savoy/Champaign/Urbana (S.C.U.) today and my employer's reputation is at risk.

With that said, you can tell I am still bitter with my recent income changes. In all likelihood, IDES will probably being call me tomorrow expecting an interview, per chance a debate with my former primary job, about my appeal regardless that there is no way the mail to advise me of that could have arrived. Since I offered my latest prospective employer a start date of next Monday, a chance to work at my retail job is not certain. Likely, but I hate dealing with hypotheticals.

Like having to stay THC-free in anticipation of a drug test. Fuck the Republican Party and their need to control the suffering of the lower and middle classes. I doubt the employer I hope to be working for takes issue with my appreciation of this state's recreational laws, but other interviewers have.

There is obviously a need to remain hopeful. So the goods from the last few days, I got to work when many others had to stay home. Aviator Gin is a damn fine spirit. And former wrestling world champion, Raven, approves of my podcast efforts. Take the wins when you can get them.

Like last week with my review for "Iczer Girl: Iczelion", it was great knowing my VCR still works well. Also, I gained a new perspective on a tape that I watched sparingly. The point of my actions was to provide "Russ's Remnants of Anime" a title that starts with "I", thus allowing that blog to be an A to Z(ed) in regards to the theme. Of course, this meant I dug for a tape from my closet instead of just pulling "Iria: Zeiram the Animation" from my living room shelf.

I suppose if I want to be lazy, all of my "Iria" expertise is on my portable hard drive with my "Windows 95" era files. If only I could remember the name of that offshoot to "The Bus's Transit of Anime Realities" dedicated to badass anime heroines. There are Geocities archives and sometimes, my stuff is still out there.

Lazy is not my thing, so it took digging through four streamers, but I found an installment for the letter "L". "Legend of Crystania" was on my shelf, but that may also fit the parameters of "NinetyForChill.com: The Website". My obsessive compulsive nature will not allow me to have more posts there than "MainEventOfTheDead.com".

This leads us to "Lily C.A.T.", a spaceship in peril feature with box art that makes it look like a slick detective feature. At least it delivers us a cat named Lily, so cannot complain too much about the poster confusion.

Lily C.A.T. (1987)

It all seems like an ordinary deep space exploratory mission. Spend 20 years in deep sleep, arrive at an uncharted planet to set up a mine for the world's resources, and make the 20-year trip back to Earth. Captain Hamilton and his crew are use to escorting Syncam Corporation explorers, but this is a stranger lot. Why Nancy, the daughter of the corporation's president, and her cat Lily making this trip?

And what about the message they receive upon waking from the first round of hyper sleep? The corporation informs Hamilton and his crew that two of the explorers are not with Syncam. They are more than likely fugitives who are trying to disappear for 40 years and return to a home that will have all but forgotten them. However, these frauds are the least of their concerns after the tough guy from the Syncam suddenly dies of what appears to be Legionnaires' disease.

While they were in deep sleep, the ship seemed to have intercepted a foreign body. In that was a bacteria. The doctor on board soon passes to this disease and then two crew members who are investigating the occurrence die while the Syncam members are trying to find who the frauds are. Things only become more confusing when the bodies seemingly disappear leaving only their unscathed clothes.

They might have a lead once Lily had been attacked by the bacteria from a wall that seems to have been dissolved by the bacteria. Too bad they will not have the time to make sense of this. The ship suddenly starts ejecting portions of the craft along with the crew members in those sections to seemingly stop the spread of the bacteria. When the crew tries to stop it, they find that something is blocking their access to the ship's functions.

It is up to the survivors to figure out what is controlling the ship, why the ship is self destructing, and does the fraudulent agents have anything to do with this. Hopefully, they do not concern themselves with what will kill them first: the bacteria, the ship, or themselves.

Iczer Girl Iczelion - Robots Present Sailor Moon for #WrestlingTwitter

 *This blog post was started on January 25, 2022.

Iczer Girl Iczelion - Robots Present Sailor Moon for #WrestlingTwitter

I would say, "Imagine We Still Had VHS", but there are cases when the tape is present. After recording three podcasts in one week for "NinetyForChill.com: The #Podcast", somehow seeing that my 10 year-old tape deck still works well almost seems as productive.

My former bank job can say what they want, but I did not waste any of my time while I was there. They knew from my resume that I was a certified website designer. Imagine what I could have done for them if they actually encouraged us to help the bank.

The toughest thing in my life is having an extra day off, and having to wake up early for interviews on those days. It sucks that the afternoon interview I had scheduled today (1/26/22) which required me to take on an early morning interview cancelled it at the last minute, but at least I know my day off will be clear. An email was sent to advise me of the cancellation. Ironically, a rescheduled time was implied. Of course, the time they wanted was the same as the morning interview.

The job loss is still on my mind a lot. IDES did not advise me that the interview for me to further state my case that I was fired for convenience rather than misconduct was going to be forgotten. Let it be known that I did fax over my appeal on January 19. All I want is the $604 the state said I initially qualified for. And that is the total of all benefits I think I am owed. My retailer has been great to me, so I cannot qualify for anything beyond those two weeks after I was fired.

I kind of want to hear back from the Illinois Department of Employment Security so I can be free to try move on and possibly burn (figuratively) my former exploiters down.

Nothing ever feels complete. Well, my life every other day does. Where do you go when you were a member of the Chicago Cubs (organization), had a video game made (knowledge can be greater than credit), and cockblocked Billy Corgan (or was it a clam jam against...do not need further legal issues)? B-Fest I hope. That should keep me around for the next month.

What I was trying to do was transition to my anime review. "Iczelion" is a two-episode OVA which promises you a lot more. A radio play (sound novel) followed this, but is that supposed to quench the wants of the fans of this series? Or maybe it was just a played out nostalgia trip to male "Sailor Moon" fans who just watched it for more vivid transformation animations.

Iczer Girl Iczelion (1995)

Nagisa is not your average Japanese high school girl. She does not really want be in school. With the success of performers like Riho, pro-wrestling is something she thinks you need to get into as soon as you can. Unfortunately, her parents forded this, and perhaps they knew their daughter well enough because she is about to find out that violence is something she may not be up for.

As she is jogging to class, a menacing robot seemingly attacks a train. After the robot fires its weapon, Nagisa is transported to another dimension where she meets Iczel, a feminine robot and living suit of armor. It turns out that Iczel was the target of the attacker, and that they have swapped dimensions to fight that assailant off.

Before Nagisa knows what is happening, Iczel has transformed into her armor. Instinctually, she decides to skip Iczel's command to use her lasers and attacks the foe with some Joshi stylings. It works, but soon the Cybernetic Warlord Cross appears to challenge her. After the puroresu fails to harm her, Nagisa cannot handle the need for combat and retreats, leaving Iczel behind. Fortunately, Earth has three other Iczel that have found hosts in a pop idol, a night club dancer, and another high schooler. 

It turns out the Iczels are here because Cross and her older brother Chaos are out to destroy the universe one planet at a time, solely to prove their superiority. Only a combination of an Iczel and a human woman can possibly stand a chance against them. The most immediate problem is, Nagisa's Iczel is not as powerful as the other three. She is certain Nagisa is the hero who will make her as powerful as the rest. Can Nagisa overcome her fears and take up the responsibility of protecting the human race.

"Iczer Girl Iczelion" lays out a great template for an interesting take on the magical girl franchise. Too bad focusing on nude transformation and up-skirt shots cannot sell many episodes.

The series may take itself too seriously at a lot of points. Iczel is essentially Luna, but sadly Nagisa is not Usagi. There is no humor to her whining about needing to be a hero, so it just gets annoying. We do not get to know the rest of the supporting cast outside of their battles, so it all feels rushed and shallow. On top of that, Original Video Animation is sold to American audiences as equal to theatrical animation. This is not the case. The design and movement is not bad, but it does not flush it out enough to be outstanding.

What is great is the soundtrack. This is the J-Pop from my teens that made me want to buy the tunes while Animenation was still selling Taiwanese bootlegs. Placed with robot and night club imagery, it seemed to offer everything I could want from a Japanese cartoon. These elements allowed me to still enjoy the tape despite all of the flaws. I think I may have just been in a mood for a trip back in time before all of this adulthood bullshit.

"Iczelion" could have used better writing, but pro-wrestling, nude girls, robots, and great tunes grabbed my attention. It is a fun hour if you do not take it too seriously, but you are not going to be disappointed that their is not an additional hour to amuse you. At least it does not beat you over the head with the perversion like "Knights of Ramune" or "Agent Aika". I can appreciate some fan service, but I do not want to pay for shame.