Those Obnoxious Aliens! (Urusei Yatsura) (1981-1986, and beyond)

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Hey guys, good to see ya. I know I’m a little early, but I’ve got a pretty interesting one for you today. This franchise totally took me by surprise – I discovered it while casually browsing on the net a couple weeks ago, and about four days in I already decided I was gonna write an article for it. I will give you guys advance warning: this is going to be a long one. In fact, this may end up being Hopped on Pop’s longest post; I have tons to talk about, and I wanna go all out on this one. Well, here we go!

Please excuse the use of the trailer for the first film instead of one for the series; I couldn’t find a decent one apart from this. Anywho, Urusei Yatsura or Those Obnoxious Aliens is the creation of Takahashi Rumiko, and one of her first major works. Moroboshi Ataru is the unluckiest guy in the world – his face seems to supernaturally draw bad luck to him and his family like a magnet. One day, he is randomly chosen to compete against alien invaders named Oni (named after the mythological enemy of ancient Japan) in a game of tag; if he can grab the horns atop the beautiful Princess Lum‘s head in ten days, he will save Earth from destruction and slavery. He’s confident it will be a piece of cake, until he learns on the first day that Lum can fly. With only one day left, his best friend Shinobu promises to marry him if he wins, and reinvigorated, he manages to beat Lum on the last day, to which he cries, “Now I can get married!” Unfortunately, Lum is convinced that Ataru is proposing to her, to which she quickly accepts.

Ataru, now technically a married man, cannot accept his fate (i.e. a life of being electrocuted), and so what ensues is a zany series of flirting with random women, beatings at the hands of Lum’s creepy fanboys, and a satire of Japanese culture. Along the way, Ataru and Lum encounter a crazy cast that includes (quoted from AniDb.net): “the richest boy on the planet…a superhuman schoolgirl…a fire-breathing baby…a powerful and very beautiful priestess/school nurse…a cute and psychotic alien vixen with a split personality, a gender-bending martial artist, an alien biker chick, an ice queen of Neptune, a deranged monk, a giant ghost cat and hundreds of other lunatic personalities.” As you’ll see in one of the articles I’m going to link to below, Urusei Yatsura is for Japanese satire what The Simpsons was for Americans before the Simpsons came out: a very wacky and snarky pushing of buttons, but with plenty of fourth wall knocking and silliness. I would also draw parallels to Three’s Company, except that both of the girls involved in the initial love triangle do want Ataru’s love and (exclusive) commitment (in other words, throw in a dash of Betty and Veronica from the Archie comics).

Lum with her family

Lum with her family (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The production quality of the anime itself is great; apart from great directors, writers, and the like, the voice actors are really talented – it’s no surprise that a lot of them went on to fantastic careers at the conclusion of this show. They make Ataru and Lum believable, and Mendou’s voice actor does a great job of turning his character into scum. And that’s another thing, but with this credit goes to the writing: as much as the characters are meant to be caricatures, they’re given a sort of three dimensionality that I daresay is rare in modern anime (with the possible exceptions of Toradora! and Haruhi Suzumiya). Lum isn’t just some eye candy alien – she’s a sensitive girl who’s a bad cook and a bit of a trouble maker, who won’t take crap but will also defend her man. Mendou the obnoxious rich guy as I said is scum, but he also happens to be terrified of dark, confined spaces, and in some cases turns out to really be a good guy. As much as I love modern anime, I’ve found the lack of this sort of character depth a chronic problem.

Apart from that, as you can see the drawing style is pretty good (although at times inconsistent, which is not quite as visible in the examples I’ve provided). The general style I feel is refreshing, especially after dozens of look-alike anime and manga in recent years, particularly since the late ’90s and early ’00s. Maybe some of you can relate, I don’t really know, but I feel like the art style in the greater part of Japanese animation these days has gotten rather static and homogenous (with rare exceptions), whereas aesthetically Urusei Yatsura reminds me much more of Dragonball, an unforgettable classic.

Now Urusei Yatsura naturally is adapted from Takahashi’s original comic series, reputedly spanning nearly 6000 pages (I haven’t read it; the closest I’ve gotten to that is Bone by Jeff Smith, at 1,332 pages). There are some key differences between this and the original work, one of the main ones being the relative lack of continuity in the anime. There is a sequence to the episodes, but less of one compared to the source material, and each individual episode is independent of one another in certain ways, such as some episodes ending without an actual resolution to the problem (in one episode, a dozen characters’ personalities are irretrievably switched between all of their bodies, and in another, Ataru is cursed with an incurable toothache). As a result, the character development is sporadic and inconsistent, because it’s out of order (although not non-existent, just different from that in the manga and definitely not as obvious). Instead, what we get is more like character “fleshing out.”

This randomness does not detract from the series, in my opinion. Given my prior experience with anime, I take it as somewhat of a relief. See, the main reason I loved anime from the beginning was the experience of an actual linear narrative, something missing from most American ‘toons (with the exception of Avatar and a small handful of others). That said, many anime and manga series hang on subtle hints and plot points and strings and whatnot, so that in order to not get lost, you have to watch every single episode/read every chapter, including sometimes filler, which is often inconsistent in terms of quality (hanging of course on the overall quality of the production team in question and their ability to improvise). Urusei Yatsura doesn’t have this problem; there is no filler, because as I said, there’s a tenuous connection between episodes as it is. I can’t say for sure how it compares to the manga because I haven’t read it, but what would otherwise be filler episodes are enjoyable to watch because I’m not just slogging through them to get to the next important episode. I can actually sit back, relax, and enjoy the episode for what it is for once. Therefore, even though I don’t have to slavishly watch every episode if I don’t want to just because I want to understand what’s going on, the superb quality instead makes me want to do so; it’s just a good, fun time for all.

Lum Invader

Lum Invader (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Urusei Yatsura interests me for a number of reasons. Believe it or not, it actually passes the Bechdel test several times throughout the course of the series, pretty impressive for a series entirely predicated on an alien princess chasing after and violently punishing her lecherous human husband. What’s funny is it kinda strikes me that this could’ve been the premise of an old fashioned cartoon in America. I can see it now: a mid-’60s or early ’70s animated sitcom, in which instead of a high school loser, a down-on-his-luck pencil pusher living in New York suddenly and accidentally gets married to an exotic alien princess after her spaceship crash lands in the middle of his living room (granted, with more modest clothing than Lum Invader, given the times). The humor and animation would be in the style of The Flintstones or the Jetsons, with a scheme in every episode that’s foiled spectacularly by his electrifying wife. Take a few seconds to picture it if you need to.

I was also struck by something that was said during a recap episode, with regards to the couple of Lum and Ataru: “What will become of their dangerous relationship?” A dangerous relationship. Aren’t all relationships a dangerous venture? Now hear me out on this one. I’ve been in a great relationship with a wonderful girlfriend for three years and a little extra, but anyone who’s been in an extended relationship knows they’re never free from trouble, even in the most ideal circumstances. Even if there’s no drama within the couple, there could be envious friends or flirty classmates, exes from either side looking to rekindle the old flame, parents that don’t like you (or your significant other), having to deal with long distances, not being able to see one another much because of work or school…any number of things could happen. The mark of a strong relationship is being able to work through that stuff together.

I don’t think Ataru hates the idea of a relationship with Lum, deny it though he may for pretty much the entire series. But how would you feel if someone you don’t love and may not even know very well barged into your life and just started living with you, demanding you take them out on dates, and then got angry when you didn’t seem to be enjoying yourself? And on top of that, your proposal was meant for someone else who you really did love! Kind of a bind Ataru is in – not that I’m defending his behavior, but again, it’s a rather sorry situation (for both of them). But as time goes on, the viewer does get a sense that Ataru actually does depend on Lum quite a bit, and he too gradually realizes how happy she makes him, and how much of a mess he is without her (this becomes especially evident toward the end of the first movie). It doesn’t matter how it happens really, but eventually he does fall for Lum, though he doesn’t stop his fooling around, probably because he’s afraid of commitment, or more interestingly, perhaps because he’s afraid of admitting she finally worked her charms on him.

Getting into relationships is a dangerous business; you might not always end up with the one you loved and wanted at first. And as I said before, there are plenty of occupational hazards to keep you occupied in the meantime. But as with all dangerous work, the payoff is (usually) worth it in the end, and as you get to know one another, you’ll soon find you love the one you’re with (if things are meant to work out – if not, then get outta there for both of your sakes!). To me, that is what Ataru and Lum’s relationship is all about – even Lum has to get used to Ataru’s dirty habits and general idiocy. But the more they get to know of each other, their bond ultimately does get stronger, Ataru’s constant hijinks and Lum’s bizarre alien behavior notwithstanding. What’s even more interesting is that Lum is widely recognized as a type B tsundere (normally sweet, but violent when provoked), and indeed one of the first of their kind, and I consider Ataru to be type A – rude and moody by default, who sometimes can’t help but show his more affectionate side. Quite neat then that these two opposites attract like a magnet, and I think this builds on the idea of them learning over time to love the one they’re with in a symbolic way, and in a more effective way than I think we see in many anime and manga series today.

Urusei Yatsura (film series)

Urusei Yatsura (film series) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Finally, I wanted to share with you a quote by the mangaka herself. When explaining the inspiration behind her creation, she said, “[Urusei Yatsura] really includes everything I ever wanted to do. I love science fiction because sci-fi has tremendous flexibility. I adopted the science fiction-style for the series because then I could write any way I wanted to.” I think she’s totally right: science fiction does open up limitless possibilities, not only because of the number of scientific hypotheticals one can explore by adopting the genre, but because sci-fi is not only limited to itself. With sci-fi fantasy like Urutsei Yatsura – as long as they don’t take themselves too seriously – you can throw in elements from literally almost any other genre you want, wave away any explanations that need to be made, and then let the fun begin. That’s what made Star Trek’s original series so fun and camp; they were able to put Captain Kirk in Ancient Rome and nobody would bat an eye! That’s the sort of creative freedom I dream of having. As far as Urusei Yatsura is concerned, that mission has been thoroughly accomplished.

Thus ends my review of Urusei Yatsura, or Those Obnoxious Aliens. It began as a manga series in 1978, and although the TV series ended in 1986 (the manga followed suit in 1987), every once in a while they poke their heads out of the sands of time for just one more go, the most recent OVA having been released in 2008. The mangaka has long since stopped writing new stories as far as the source material, and over time it will get harder and harder to wrangle up the original crew (even the youngest among them are now in their early to mid-50s), but I will always watch for the return of this splendid “wacky boy meets alien” series, in whatever form that may be.

As for myself, I’ve recently been accepted to law school, which will officially commence at the beginning of this summer. I’m going to get very busy very soon, so I want to enjoy myself as much as possible until then. Additionally, I started this blog during a period of intense, intractable writer’s block, and I thought getting myself to write on a frequent and regular basis would help me get the creative juices flowing again. It worked, and a couple months ago I resumed work on my private creative writing projects. I found however that not only did I not have enough free time to thrust myself fully into that writing while also trying to maintain consistent weekly posts here, but it was increasingly difficult to divide my attention between the two. Writing a typical blog post here requires combing through a sea of potential movies, albums, books, and others for a fruitful topic, analyzing and synthesizing the main points I want to talk about, and then pouring it onto the page. I want to be able to have the time and energy to do that now for my creative projects.

So where do we go from here? Fret not, for this is not the (permanent) end of Hopped on Pop. Perhaps someday I’ll return again, and it would make more sense to think of this as a hiatus. I assure you this isn’t some spur of the moment thing; only one post this month was a movie review, and that’s because the topics I’ve been posting about lately had been on my to-do list almost since I began this blog, and I wanted to make sure to get them out before closing up shop. This has been a really fun project to pore over, and I will miss doing it, but my priorities have changed and I wanna look boldly into the future. I hope you’ve all enjoyed reading Hopped on Pop, and I thank you endlessly for dropping by week after week for over seven months now. It’s been a helluva ride. So I say to you goodbye, au revoire, so long, farewell, and thanks for all the fish.

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Resonance Cascades, Vortal Sense, and the Secrets of Half-Life

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Hey everyone, welcome back! Say, do we have any Half-Life fans in the house? Although it’s hard going on so many years without a sequel (Half-Life 3 is bound for Duke Nukem Forever-dom), I do plunge back into this world every once in a while. This discussion is going to be spoilerific; I mean if there are levels to this sort of thing, we’re talking Code Dark Red. Also as a disclaimer to those who know their Half-Life mythology better than I do, I will humbly acknowledge right off that because it’s been almost a decade since I played HL1 (and I can’t anymore because it’s not on Mac), and I haven’t played the HL2 episodic expansions since their release, there’s a big chance I’ll get something wrong along the way. Don’t let that discourage you; go ahead and correct me in the comments section, and maybe we can get a conversation going together about the theories behind the Half-Life story.

My first game in the series was Half-Life 2, and the weirdness of it just grabbed me. It was an all-around fun experience, made more fun by such mysteries as the G-Man, and the chills and thrills of the Combine, headcrabs and their zombie hosts, and more. More on that later though. My favorite level in Half-Life 2 has been and always will be Highway 17. It gets a lot of flak from other fans: driving around in the dune buggy, doing annoying puzzles, killing a bunch of unnecessary enemies, and then driving on. Perhaps it will sound weird then to say that that experience is precisely what I love about it. Especially the first time when I didn’t know what to expect, I felt sorta like this stranger in a strange land, riding off to some distant goal but gunslinging along the way. Plus, I just love the atmosphere: it’s very open and quiet, and…in a weird way, peaceful. The landscapes really reminded me of going to the beach in New England. Just a random thought.

Anyway, normally I would not have brought this up at all; as I said, there hasn’t been substantive Half-Life news in a few years already. Luckily, Valve and Arkane Studios recently decided to tease fans with some content from the long-sinced scrapped Half-Life 2: Episode Four – Return to Ravenholm. Check it out:

That totally got me going, so back into the world of Half-Life I went. Right, so back to the mysteries of the HL universe. Why do Half-Life fans love these games so much? Besides it being hella fun and cool design (landscapes, characters, baddies, etc.), I chalk it up to the mysteriousness of the entire storyline. Because let’s be honest: we know factual information as it pertains to the plot, but how much do we really know in the grand scheme of things? And I don’t mean even heavily implied links between events, characters who probably caused them, and their likely motivations (or even such hints as Dr. Vance knowing who the G-Man is, although he does kinda spell it out so plainly that it hardly counts). How much as an absolute, explicit certainty has Valve tied together? The Covenant invaded Earth most likely because they’re an empire and that’s what they do, but is that really the only reason and do we know for sure that it is (i.e. maybe there’s something specific about Earth)? It’s most likely Earth because of the Xen relay, and then they were most likely able to get to Earth because Nihilanth was holding them back on Xen, but how much of that is totally certain? And let’s not forget about the G-Man, about whom literally next to nothing is known.

It’s the same as with the TV series Lost, which is probably why I became so obsessed with the show after discovering and falling in love with the Half-Life series (for the record though, that obsession died a quick death when it tried to both answer questions and remain mysterious, and then failed at both). I mean that the mystery factor of Half-Life is so intriguing and powerful because it’s so cosmic in scale – or rather, you don’t know it is but you can feel it, even though so little is given to go from. The unknowns matter because whatever they are, they are central to everything that happens and yet so elusive, and there’s an overwhelming sense all throughout that you, the player, are involved in something of such an unimaginably huge scale, far beyond the war for Earth.

A square in City 17, showing the Source engine...

A square in City 17, showing the Source engine’s lighting and shadow effects (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You get this sense pretty strongly from conversations with the G-Man, such as when he vaguely refers to some employers and the restrictions he must abide by, with you being the mortal pawn in a game (or more interestingly, a business proposal) between beings who may be entire orders of consciousness superior to your own. Or they might not be, who knows? And what do they want with the human race, or with Earth anyway? Or more specifically, with you? What role does the Covenant play in all of this? The Vortigaunts seem to know something too, and the fact that they seem to be trying to hint at something draws players ever deeper into the mystery.

As I learned with Lost however, it might not be such a great idea if too many mysteries are solved, and too many questions answered. The suspense over the shadowy forces presiding over the conflict and what their true intentions are has been built up over almost a decade, and so anything Valve could come up with to explain the G-Man and his superiors would inevitably fall short of most fan expectations. I’m not saying it wouldn’t be nice to throw us a bone or two every now and then, and going the opposite direction and endlessly perpetuating the mystery would also cause fans to lose interest. It’s the same with Mass Effect, actually. I think the Reapers’ true intentions for the galaxy should have been explored but not pried all the way open; again, a huge amount of anticipation was built up that would inevitably come up short next to the limitless imaginations of fans.

In my view, the G-Man’s employers can and should be revealed and their plan for the Earth, the Combine, and everything else too, but “why” should be left up to the player’s interpretation. As for the G-Man himself, I’d like to see more about where he fits in to the whole plot, but I don’t think anything more should be given away about the character him(it?)self. By revealing too much about the Man in Black, he experienced severe villain decay; the mystery is what characters like that thrive on.

Well, I think that about does it for this week. I was going to share some of my personal theories about the Half-Life universe, but – I’m sort of embarrassed to say – I forgot what they were. It had something to do with the fact that Dr. Breen appeared to be keenly aware of Gordon Freeman being in the employ of the G-Man, and with the connection between the Black Mesa Incident, the Covenant, and Dr. Breen securing his position in the Citadel. I don’t know if anyone out there can piece it from there, so as a token of consolation, please accept this theory video, which was one of the other reasons I was inspired to write this post. I admit I felt a lot of the logical steps were just…weird, but it actually changed the way I thought about the whole thing. Well, thanks for reading; I hope you enjoyed it. See you next week!

Unforgotten Realms (2006-2010) and Unforgotten Quest

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Hello Hoppers! How was your week? Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get around to seeing a movie for review this week, but luckily I had a back-up in my pocket! How many of you roleplay? I can’t say I ever have, but as a videogamer, I did get a kick out of a certain Flash series by Robert Moran:

I couldn’t actually find a video shorter than that, but if you’ve got the time, give it a look. Now I won’t be rating Unforgotten Realms because I feel any score I give it will be extremely biased, but let’s just say I love this series. It started as a very poorly drawn but nevertheless laugh-out-loud Newgrounds series, which became much prettier when it was picked up and then remade at Escapist Magazine. It’s about two “friends,” Mike and Rob, who decide to play a knock-off of Dungeons and Dragons together, and as you can see, Rob doesn’t really get it. At first. Eventually, they both end up becoming really engrossed in the game (there are some funnies here and there, but once you get to the third season, things get significantly more serious), as they’re hunted by Roamin and Gaary for the long claw of the law, Timmy the Evil and Professor Walrus for not letting Rob’s little brother play with them, and travel back in time. In the middle of that is essentially a parody of all things roleplaying and medieval, both on paper and game console, in gaming and otherwise.

I’ve seen the old series and the new one, and I’ve probably heard and re-enacted the classic jokes about a hundred times each. It’s still at least amusing to me though; why else would I continue to re-enact episodes with my little brother, a fellow URealms fan who was the one who originally got me watching? I find it clever for its deconstructing so many videogame and medieval fantasy tropes that most of us just shrug and accept (the jokes from the first series are a little sillier, and the jokes from the second series are more esoteric, both enjoyable in their own way). Rob’s snarky one-liners are not just funny because “Oh, that’s clever,” but because there’s actually something quite hilariously absurd about the things he says. He’s a cloud cuckoolander in a strangely smart way, neither totally brilliant nor totally idiotic (and there are rare instances of straight-up weirdness, although mostly confined to the first series). The characters are colorful and sharp, and the outside references (especially in the second series) are ripe for a knowing chuckle and kind of a sign of the times. And Mike and Rob so stand out as very distinctive personalities, in spite of the fact that every character’s voices are done by the exact same person.

There’s not much more to say for it other than that, but I will say that I kinda like the less-than-spectacular art style. It’s pretty consistent with how lightly the series takes itself. If you’re into roleplaying or anything else I mentioned above – including just being an avid enjoyer of Flash parodies – check it out (chances are if you’re into any of those things and regularly watch Flash parodies, you’ve already heard of it, but hey). Anyway, I didn’t just want to talk about Unforgotten Realms; I really enjoy it, but as you can see, there’s not much to say. No, I called you all here today for something my brother and I discovered on Kickstarter:

Wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait wait…..wait, they’re making game? Yes, that’s right: Robert Moran is making a game! The Kickstarter has already ended (successfully, or else I wouldn’t be talking about this), meaning this game is well underway. His description in the video kinda speaks for itself, but it’s a URealms MMO, from the looks of things. As a fan, the prospects of creating my own ridiculously named, ridiculously classed hero from Awesometon sounds like all the ingredients for a good time. And hey, I get to do it my way.

Just that last bit is what I think makes this upcoming game so great: exercising my own imagination in the self-parodying world of Unforgotten Realms. I’ve made a big deal in the past about a game’s potential to unlock player creativity and imagination, in a few words the power of insertion. Well that, it seems, is the driving force behind the entire game. It’s not just about making an addicting RPG grinder, but a chance for longtime fans to insert themselves in the world they’ve known and loved, and hey, probably wished they could play in with favorite characters. I kind of relish the idea of questing with a cameo’d Sir Schmoopy or Roamin the Crime-Solving Rank 11 Paladin myself; it would be a nice treat to exchange wisecracks (or argue with) the wacky characters that make up the world of the Flash series. But I can do it on my terms. While dual-wielding nunchucks (made of Canadian lumber), even if it means rolling a -4 on the exotic weapons feat.

Aside from that, it just looks fun. It looks like an engaging experience that is not solely predicated on the world or the gameplay, a game that is completely about you enjoying yourself, rather than being a completionist or the the best player, or grinding and buying credits for the latest cool features or equips (see here to learn more about ‘gaming aesthetics’). Assuming all goes well, we’ll get to find out next year.

Alright, I think that’s all I got in me this week. Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it. See you next week!

Credit: Thomas Kiernan

Epic Zelda Art? Epic Zelda Art.

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By uniqueLegend from DeviantArt

You should all know well by now how much I love Zelda; I’ve shared three fan art pieces and done an entire article devoted to the series by now. Anyway, no reason in particular for sharing this one, just thought it was cool. See you on Friday!

Newgrounds: Flash Moguls

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Welcome back, poppers! How are you all? I had a truly stupendous weekend. Thank you for helping me break my old weekly viewership record (previously 141, as of this writing 152). Anyway, in light of there not being a movie to review this week, I decided to cobble together an article. Hark back to my article about webcomics, because this is somewhat related to the point I made in that one. Also, before I begin, I’d like to extend credit to my little brother for inspiring this topic.

When I was in high school, Newgrounds was still relatively young, and although I would eventually discover that some of my favorite Flash animations had originated there (my main source for online entertainment was Flashplayer, later renamed Ugoplayer), NG was barely on my radar for a few years. Then, in 2008, Egoraptor struck rampant popularity at my university with Awesome Center Redux and others, and the world of Newgrounds was opened up to me. I’m still by and large an outsider, especially compared to my aficionado brother, but the animating and programming talent over there provides endless hours of (oftentimes gratuitous) entertainment.

Newgrounds

Newgrounds (Photo credit: MLoperative)

According to Newgrounds history, Tom Fulp‘s website was the first Flash portal on the Internet, then and even now one of the biggest, and arguably one of the first to truly spur on and exhibit amateur Flash animation and game creativity. As their motto goes, “Everything, By Everyone.” They really mean it too. Innovative features like collaborative submissions brought new possibilities to the various media its users traded in, and the consistent popularity of the site itself encouraged innovators to flock to it with their best work (and they still do today). With the addition of Audio and Art portals, Newgrounds is basically an ocean of self-perpetuating creativity, absorbing and providing an endless stream of resources, inspiration, and fully-fledged works – in essence, a constant series of creative inputs and outputs. As with the webcomics I addressed a good while back, these factors make Newgrounds into a sort of audition space for aspiring animators and programmers. To what end I have no idea – I don’t know how many of those Flash users actually go on to animating school or anything like that – but it’s a cool sort of phenomenon nonetheless, more so for what it has resulted in: Flash auteurs.

For those unfamiliar with the term, Wikipedia defines an auteur thusly: “…a director’s film reflects the director’s personal creative vision…In spite of—and sometimes even because of—the production of the film as part of an industrial process, the auteur’s creative voice is distinct enough to shine through all kinds of studio interference and through the collective process.” There is a particular group of Newgrounds animators, including (this is doomed to be an incomplete list) Happy Harry, Egoraptor, Oney, Lazy Muffin, The-Swain, and a bunch of others, who immediately come to my mind as soon as someone mentions Newgrounds. And more than that, when you see one of their animations – if you’re at least somewhat familiar with their work – a voice or a drawing quirk is usually the only clue you need to know it’s them. Just as when you see a Quentin Tarantino movie, just by the writing, or the music, or the gratuitous violence you know it’s him, so with Johnny Utah’s voice acting or Oney’s warped sense of humor. Egorapture released last year accidentally highlighted this (I think accidentally), with its emphasis on “Egoraptor style,” and although the point of the ‘toon seemed to be that it was pointless to accuse Flash animators using his art style or sense of humor of copying him, by doing so it acknowledges that such a thing exists.

(Photo Credit: shelf3d.com)

So what happens when you have a bunch of talented animators and game programmers on a site that makes collaborations easy? Why, mass bursts of quality entertainment of course. There were plenty of collabs when I was younger – in particular I remember a few parodies of the Matrix and the Lord of the Rings – and Flashplayer had its own “stars” back in the day, including Legendary Frog and the Super Flash Bros. (as it happens, I recently spotted Legendary Frog on Newgrounds, and SFB alum Rubber Ninja was in a recent collaboration about Mass Effect 3). Whatever factors went into the collaborations of NG artists and alumni though, they’re of at least a technical quality well beyond anything that was coming out those few years back (I’m inclined to say newer technology probably helped out quite a bit too), such that if you step back and think about it, it’s quite cool that these separate creative minds from who knows where were able to come together and put these sorts of cohesive projects together.

And that thought is what led me to another cool conclusion about Newgrounds: by making it easy to bring together Flash talent, they have created what may be called informal Flash animation studios, production crews that whether in a looser or more centrally-focused effort, can create high quality works. And by bringing all of what Flash animation has to offer under one metaphorical roof (with each project, I mean), Newgrounds has provided a significant boon for artists and viewers alike. Each collaboration provides artists an opportunity to showcase their latest work to their fans and to new potential fans, and newer animators and relative unknowns can be discovered by viewers when they flock to collaborative projects to see their favorite artists’s work.

The tapestry of the Newgrounds submitting community has changed quite a bit though, as in the last couple of years, big names like Egoraptor and Happy Harry have actually relocated to YouTube. Newgrounds helped launch them to notoriety, and in this way these Flash auteurs used Newgrounds as a means to an end, which for now is popularity on YouTube. It could be that their successors on Newgrounds will follow a similar path, maybe not; I’m a blogger, not a prophet. But in any case, perhaps it is in this that we can answer “to what end” Newgrounds serves as an audition space, because it’s not just an audition space: it’s the place where Flash ‘toon and game makers, if they’re skilled and dedicated enough, go to be put on the map. While the trends are still in motion and it is thus too uncertain to make any definitive statements in this regard, I think we can be sure the next generation of great Flash auteurs is already out there, just waiting to be discovered.

Well, that’s all I got for this week. This was a helluva thing to write, but it sure was fun. Thank you for reading; I hope you enjoyed it. I don’t know what’s coming up next week, but regardless of what it turns out to be, I’ll see you then!

Who is or are your favorite Flash animator(s)? Do you have any favorite Flash games or animations? Share them in the comments section below!

Django Unchained (2012)

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Hello poppers, and welcome to the first official Hopped on Pop movie review of the new year! As a friend of mine so eloquently put it (thanks Accelerando), there is a certain quality to Quentin Tarantino films that as much as his movies are very unlike those made by other directors, they are similar enough to one another that when you see it, you know it’s him. So as promised, here is Django Unchained:

I don’t think the trailers sum up the movie as well as they could have (not a bad try though), so here’s my attempt: Django is a slave who’s been purchased by Dr. Schulz, a German-American bounty hunter who needs Django’s help identifying a couple of targets for his next bounty. Django does this and they find the guys, and when their job is done, Django buys his freedom and joins Dr. Schulz in the bounty hunting business. It is on this journey together that Django reveals his wife Broomhilda was sold to a slaver named Calvin Candie, and the second half of the film is their joint attempt to (legally) rescue her.

As one snippet I read before going to see it said, Django is what you get when you roll a blaxploitation film and a spaghetti western into one, and the result is spectacular. Even the opening sequence is taken right out of one of those late ’60s or early ’70s westerns, like True Grit or The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, or something like that. Tarantino must really have loved those exploitation and grindhouse movies as a kid, because this like all of his movies oozed of that gratuitous, over-the-top aesthetic. On a somewhat related note, I loved the deliberate parallels with the legend of Siegfried (it’s a private obsession of mine to want to see the Ring of the Nibelung). It  had me drawing parallels between plot elements of the movie and with the story Dr. Schulz describes to Django. And hey, Django as a BAMF parallel to Siegfried? I’m sold.

The soundtrack was really great as well, combining all sorts of western and soul tunes, R&B, country, you name it. I thought at one point I heard High Flyin’ Bird by Richie Havens; if anyone can confirm that for me, it would be greatly appreciated because I almost died of joy when I heard it (I was about 80% sure). Another thing I liked, for once, was the grittiness and the brutality of Tarantino’s world. In fact, Quentin Tarantino is the only moviemaker (so far) whose gritty movies I not only enjoy, but look forward to (more on this later). I think it’s because he’s able to pull off that “hyper-real” feel that the Coen brothers often do, and so whatever may be the verdict on the historical accuracy of Django, the Antebellum South we’re presented with looks like it could be historically accurate. In short, it was brutal enough to be believable. Leo DiCaprio, Jamie Foxx, and Christoph Walz were to die for, by the way. What great performances from all of them, Walz perhaps most of all; after loving to hate him in Inglourious Basterds, he was a wonderful new hero. One of them better win an Oscar.

Finally, I was genuinely concerned during the near-final standoff that our heroes would not make it out alive, and I was simultaneously thrilled at the thought of it resulting in an unwinnable shootout ending, like Bonnie & Clyde. I would have been disappointed at the loss of our heroes, but it sure would’ve been interesting, because that would have been a true throwback to 1970s film. Just a small tidbit I wanted to make note of in terms of positives.

Django Unchained for @brettbretterson

Django Unchained for @brettbretterson (Photo credit: aziritt)

In addition to those things however, there were a few points I wanted to pick on. For example, the partnership between Jamie Foxx’s character and Christoph Walz’s. Yes, the partnership was there, and I did feel it, but I didn’t really feel the friendship one would expect from two dudes traveling together in a movie like this. You could argue it’s because of the rather obvious race issue that pervades the entire film (obviously, considering its setting), and it comes off somewhat in Walz’s character that he’s sort of “above” that, but then one should have felt a little more chemistry between the characters (not to suggest there was an absence of one, just more of it). And Django should have at least reacted in a human way to a certain scene near the end; not necessarily in a soft way, but in a believable one given everything else we know about the character (a co-worker suggested a brief “funeral” at the very end of the movie). That could just be me, maybe I’m making a fuss for nothing, but hey, it’s a great excuse to go see the movie again and make sure I’m right.

Also, the film could have ended in a couple of radically different ways that I felt would’ve been more fitting to the direction the plot seemed to be going in. I kind of suspected Django would end in a fanfare of gunshots, blood, and explosions, but when Leo’s character realized what was going on and took control of the situation, I liked how it seemed to diffuse the tension and momentum running all through the movie up until that point. I liked the ending we got, but I had ideas for different ones as I was watching. For instance, when Django rides off to go rescue his lady Broomhilda, they could have just left it off there; a nice ambiguous ending so we could decide for ourselves if he would ultimately succeed in his quest (much as we were left to decide for ourselves whether Jules in Pulp Fiction was able to change his ways). I also could see the film ending immediately as he rescues his fair maiden: the funeral procession crosses by the house where they’ve locked her up, Django opens the door and prepares to open fire. The camera closes in on the barrel of his gun, fades to black, you hear a gunshot, and then credits. Either one of those would have allowed the film to close on a note rather different from what Tarantino has become known for, which might have been cool. But hey, that’s just me.

Vincent "stares...transfixed" into t...

Vincent “stares…transfixed” into the glowing case, as specified in Tarantino’s screenplay. Tarantino (1994), p. 28. Vincent’s demeanor reinforces the allusion to… (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I know this is going to sound weird, but…did we really need all the splattering blood? Not that I have any particular problem with it – I’m not squeamish or anything. I just like the side of Quentin that shows a more grounded realism, a more stark and earthly one like that depicted in Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. You know, worlds in which you can believe that people live in them. That splattering blood made disbelief harder, and I think unfortunately has come to be a cliché for him. I dunno, I feel like even the highly stylized early films were pretty stark in their presentation, and thus it was easier to take them seriously in general. On that note, I felt Walz’s “handshake” was unnecessary, and I felt walking away in dejection would’ve been an interesting avenue to follow as well (way less exciting, I realize, but interesting). I know Tarantino is known for his hyper-violent plots and characters, and their explosive conclusions, but he also can do non-violent sequences and diffusion of tension really well, and it would’ve been nice to see him explore that here with a victory that was hard fought for and earned, but that felt like a bit of a slap in the face.

Finally, as much as I love Quentin Tarantino’s cameos in his own films (and in others’ films, for that matter), his Australian accent is terrible. Please don’t stop appearing in your movies, but just stick to your own voice and accent.

I loved this film.  Django had really cool hero moments, the setting was fresh and interesting (which is usually hard to say for a movie set in the Antebellum South), and all in all it was an amazingly executed film. Great acting, great directing, great writing all around. I give Django Unchained a 9 out of 10. It better win some Oscar awards. Anyway, I’ve also retroactively changed my rating for The Hobbit to a 7 out of 10, because in retrospect, it was good but not great (I know that’s a random announcement in the middle of this review, but I noticed that I have three movies in a row with a 9 out of 10, and they’re clearly not all on equal ground with one another). Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. I don’t know yet what’s up for next week; I’ll check out the movie listings, but there’s a chance I might reach into the non-reviews bag for a week just in case. Until then, see you next week!

12.25.12 - "Django Unchained"

12.25.12 – “Django Unchained” (Photo credit: moviesinla)

Happy New Year!!

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Hello everyone! Thank you all for your readership over the last few months. It’s been an absolute joy writing for you all, and the topics I’ve gotten to cover have been fascinating. Actually writing here has helped my writing in general too, with the speed at which I can put out a quality piece increasing over the course of these six months. Anyway, I was planning to write something for the new year and ran out of time, but luckily WordPress had my back. My favorite graphic is a map of all the countries I’ve gotten readers from. Check it out below!

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 1,900 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 3 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

I thought it was interesting, anyway. I look forward to seeing you all in 2013, first with Django Unchained this Friday, and then with plenty more awesome content throughout the next few months. See you next week!

The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary

The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary (Photo credit: Ricardo Saramago)

What was your favorite post this year? Let me know below!