As is well known, I’m a big proponent for anime history. I think it’s important for anime fans to know and respect the classic series and creators who were instrumental in the development of this form of art. So as part of my teachings in my anime drawing classes for Comic Book Masters, I bring up a lot of that history where it’s appropriate. I taught two particular lessons this past weekend that deal with the classics. Of course, Osamu Tezuka, creator of Astro Boy, is on top of the list of important figures that I talk about. But one of my most favorite of all the masters who helped to shape anime and manga into what they are today is Shotaro Ishinomori, creator of Cyborg 009. I just loved the little bit of Cyborg 009 media that I’ve seen over the past few years, and I really want to see more. I think it’s a great concept and a great story, and it’s pretty amazing to think that it was created so long ago. I know some anime fans won’t really give 009 a chance because it’s too “old school” and the art style is too different, but I honestly believe that anyone exposed to it who went in with some sort of understanding of where and when this series was coming from would definitely enjoy it. Especially the most recent Cyborg 009 animated series, which I saw 6 episodes of awhile back and thought to be some of the best stuff I had ever seen.

Even though Ishinomori was so important to the history and cultural landscape of anime and manga (as well as live action TV series, but that’s another story), it’s really disheartening to see that there is precious little information available in English about him and his works. And that’s not to say that anything you find about him will be in Japanese, because his series seem to be very well loved in places like France, Italy, and Brazil. So it came as a pretty big surprise, as well as being fittingly appropriate since I was planning to talk about him with my students, when a Hollywood group called Comic Book Movies announced last week that it had struck a deal with Ishinomori Productions to make film franchises out of Ishinomori’s huge catalogue of characters. Their first venture has not been announced yet, but all rumors and common sense indicate that it will be Cyborg 009 getting the big screen treatment.

I know that the “angry nerd” segment of the Internet likes to whine and complain whenever they catch wind of something like this, but I think a Cyborg 009 live action movie is a fantastic idea. It could lend itself quite well to being an interesting film, since it deals with aspects of friendship and family as well as super hero theatrics. I’m curious to see how it would turn out, and I hope that it gets off the ground. At the very least, it would create more interest in 009 and perhaps make Ishinomori and his contributions to anime and manga more well known in English speaking countries. And hopefully we’d finally get a big DVD box set of the recent Cyborg 009 anime that we really should have already gotten by now.

So, by all means, bring on Cyborg 009. And while you’re at it, bring on Kikaider, Inazuman, Henshin Ninja Arashi, The Skull Man, Himitsu Sentai GoRanger, Kamen Rider, and even Ganbare!! RoboCon. I know I’ll be watching.

Sayonara.

I am in shock.

Professional Wrestler Eddie Guerrero, one of my favorite performers on the current roster, was found dead in his hotel room this morning.

This is a guy who was in the absolute prime of his career, and for him to be cut down like this so suddenly… I can’t believe it. It’s a horrible loss.

I was always a fan of his, going all the way back to his first appearance in WCW. He was a phenomenal wrestler and an amazing performer. Throughout his career he had switched between playing the roles of a fan favorite and a villain several times. But even when he was a heel, doing and saying all sorts of terrible things in the story lines, people still cheered for him. There was just something about him that made him so difficult to hate, no matter the angle. We all just loved him too much to keep booing his antics.

Eddie had a lot of problems with addiction that he was very open about, and it’s possible that his demons took a toll on his body. He had risen above it though, and was clean and sober for 4 years, making his sudden passing so surprising. It just doesn’t make sense for someone to be on TV one week, looking completely healthy, and then die the next week so mysteriously. He was far too young.

I wish I could say that this was a wrestling angle and that next week he’ll come back, saying that he cheated his way out of death yet again. I would enjoy being hoodwinked like that, even after writing all this. It would be just another classic Eddie Guerrero moment. But it’s not an angle. It’s real. And it hurts. To say that he will be missed by the fans and the entire pro wrestling community is a huge understatement. I know that I’m going to miss him a lot.

You can read all about Eddie’s career in his Wikipedia entry and on WWE.com

Via con dios, Latino Heat.

Sayonara.

I Got this cute little 3 line stanza of feedback in my inbox this past week. Isn’t it just great?

u suck lamoes!
Draw better pictures!
Gay wauds!

So here we have more examples of some creative perversions of the English language by way of “lamoes” and “wauds“. I am not 100% certain of the author’s intent on either of those. I could only begin to speculate. But I won’t.

Draw better pictures?

No.

Spell better words.

Of course, the e-mail address provided by this poetic dandy was a fake. Somehow I’m not surprised.

Seriously buddy, spell better words.

Sayonara.

Of the Sith. On DVD.

Naturally, I was there bright and early to buy a copy today. I’ve since watched the film again and most of the extra materials.

The movie is awesome. The picture quality is awesome. The sound is awesome. The documentaries are awesome.

You know what’s not awesome though? This.

What in the hell is this for?

You know, I’ve kept my mouth shut about this issue for too bloody long, but this… this is the last straw. Over the past few years, the big movie studios have taken to releasing their films on DVD in Canada with different covers then in the US, featuring French text. They didn’t use to do this, and I have no idea what brought about this change, but I’m sick of it. Some times the French just adds clutter and looks ugly. Some times it’s just redundant. But what ticks me off the most about it with this particular situation is that none of the other Star Wars DVDs have any French on their packaging at all. Now the spines don’t line up and there’s this one entry in the series that’s going to look like the odd one out on the shelf.

I care about this sort of thing. Maybe some people don’t, but I do. I’m actively aware of things like graphic design and composition. I buy a lot of DVDs and I take great pains in maintaining the condition of their packaging for display purposes. I want the DVDs I buy to have attractively designed covers, on the front and on the spine. I don’t want French text on my DVD covers. I don’t need it. It just looks bad. And it especially looks bad here, when I want to have all the films in a series lined up in a row.

I could understand if this were this bilingual cover was only released in Quebec and other areas of the country where French is the predominant language. I’d be fine with there being an option to display an English or French design via a reversible cover. But no, they have to be “politically correct” and be all inclusive at the expense of good design. Bah.

Seriously, if this DVD did not have any French on the cover, would any French speaking person living in Canada pick up a copy and say “What is this?” Well, obviously not, they’d say that in French, but you understand my point. Would they really not know what they were looking at? It’s freaking Star Wars! How could you not know what you were getting into? Is this extraneous French text really necessary? Is my life, and the lives of all Canadians, that much more enriched knowing that “Revenge of the Sith” is “La Revanche Des Sith“?

I say NO!

I am taking up arms over this issue. I will be writing to 20th Century Fox, Lucasfilm, or whoever else I need to yell at, in order to obtain that which I desire. I will kindly request to be sent a replacement cover featuring the English-only design, and suggest that future DVD releases feature a reversible English/French or English/Bilingual cover.I urge that all other Canadian DVD collectors do the same. Together, we can effect change, so that both English and French speaking DVD buyers can proudly display their collections without being horribly embarrassed.

I will have my Revenge.

Sayonara.

I bought a lot of Transformers this week.

If you haven’t heard by now, Toys R Us in Canada is having a sale on the basic sized Transformers Energon and Cybertron figures. They’re half price all this week. So I bought… six. Yeah. Six. There’s Scattorshot, Overhaul, Clocker, Ransack, Hardtop, and the Minicons.

I was also lucky enough to find a few toys at the usual unlikely special place I often find toys in. They were all at discounted prices. Really happy to get Scorponok, since I’ve really been wanting to find one at a decent price. Quickstrike is another cool one, a big red helicoptor, and he’ll probably end up being one of the rarer pieces from the Energon line. Sixshot, Wing Saber, and Universe Tankor and Obsidian round out the bunch. A lot of swag for not a lot of cash. It’s been awhile since I’ve scored a big haul like this, and the timing was right. I am pleased.

Sayonara.