Gephyrophillia | Watch This Space #40

Originally Posted on 02/27/2003 by Jeff Harris

In memory of Mr. Fred Rogers. The neighborhood will never be the same again.

Before I begin, I have to rant a little about Mainframe Productions.

Well, it's not really a rant, but rather a complaint.

After seeing productions come out of there for a while, including the just-announced Hot Wheels OVA (otakus hate me using that term for non-anime productions, but it IS a long-form original video animation) which is coming out in March, I have to ask one simple question.

Where in the blue hell is the Spider-Man cartoon? What's taking so long? It should have been out last year, just as Marvel celebrated the character's 40th anniversary last year with a full-length film as well as a greater revamp of the title. Who's to blame? Marvel? Doubt it. They wanted it out, but they should have realized MTV's track record with animated projects as of late. Either that or Marvel's forcing MTV to have a Marvel Summer Blitz or something with X2 in May, Spider-Man the Animated Series in June, and The Hulk in July (speaking of Marvel products, X-Men: Evolution's premiering on Cartoon Network in April, which, along with Jackie Chan Adventures, will a part of SVES, which has the potential to become "a better cartoon show," a title commonly used to describe Toonami). MTV? Probably, but doubtful. They're probably so disinterested in the series now, especially since it's "too late" to cash in with the movie's success.

Kind of makes you wish Mainframe had a public relations spokesperson to converse with the fans. Wait, they did. They got rid of her. They got rid of a lot of folks up there at Mainframe.

Koosh koosh.

Back to the business at hand.

Day four of Giant Robot Week has come and gone. BTW, that WASN'T Nadesico, but rather Dai-Guard (you'd think that they would know that . . . I sense somebody's been sleeping in the control rooms again . . . the same guys that showed World in Danger part one . . . again). I gotta say, I was pretty impressed by this show. The animation looked clean and crisp. Great characters, great story. Oh, and funny as hell (Akagi showed great restraint in not laying the smackdown on those preppy brats, but he did blow them away). When that Heterodyne came out of the water, all those people stand there all amazed and stupified was funny.

During the commercial break, I noticed that G.I. Joe's using the original logo along with the Real American Hero stripes and motto. Like Hot Wheels, Hasbro is going to release a 44-minute CGI OVA to coincide with this new line this summer. Just thought you'd like to know that.

Back to Nade - - ahem, DAI-GUARD! They say that computer animation is the wave of the future. I'm still a traditionalist, but I'm willing to give it more of a chance, especially if it looks like this. One thing I dig about anime is how new pilots adapt to controls on new rides like fish to water. Of course, the machine's completely flawed, and not just because it didn't have proper ventilation and air-conditioning. During the fight, people are just impressed, as they should be. Of course, the Dai-Guard is a cracked-up piece of garbage, but it did the job.

Oh, and they need to explain why they're showing Nadesico's end credits as well. So far, Dai-Guard was the BEST show they showed all week, and yet they completely ruined the opening and end credits. Laziness . . . gads.

Where is Low Brow, yet again? Probably the same place as Dai-Guard's Toonami opening and closing.

I miss the original Toonami Robotech theme.

It was the best Toonami opening theme they ever made, and it would have been a nod to those that actually watched the block back in the day (yes, Cartoon Network, we're still here). It's good to see some old-school action on Toonami, even if it's just once in a blue moon. It's even better when it's a show we didn't get to see on Toonami, New Generation (which hasn't been on television seen in almost 15 years). Pretty cool.

I'm giving this day a 4 out of 5, the best day so far in Giant Robot Week, thanks in part to Dai-Guard and Robotech: New Generation. It would have been perfect if they showed Dai-Guard's "custom" opening and proper end credits, and if they stopped referring to Dai-Guard as Nadesico.

Tomorrow's the final day of Giant Robot Week, and, if you're new to the block, the final day of the third hour. Yeah, it happened before, and we got it back. It wouldn't be so farfetched to believe that we wouldn't get it back again in the future. Starting Monday, Toonami's a two-hour block Mondays through Fridays. No big deal. It just means that they're going to make the better cartoon show just a little better. There are so many shows coming down the pike in a few months, it's not even funny. These are the beginning of good times, and this time, it seems like the odds are in our favor, unlike the previous contraction. In regards to GRW, if you didn't like it, just keep telling yourself, "It could have been better."

Until we are one, later.
Jeff Harris
CNX Creator/Webmaster
February 27, 2003