Photoset reblogged from (And what of how small, and of how fragile…) with 37,429 notes
I rather enjoy number 3, being as I’m in college because I actually want to learn and will probably be in debt 4ever over it. Whatevz, life is short.
This comic pretty much sums up one of my greatest fears, being this average.
Source: zenpencils.com
Photoset reblogged from Moments In Oblivion with 13,060 notes
So here are the source links.
FIRSTLY here is where I got Tony Abbott’s (LIBERAL/NATIONAL) list of policies
HERE is section 18C of the racial discrimination act
Basically, we’re fucked. Welcome to Australian Politics.
@JORDYNRYLIE
I really wish my friends would take notice of this. I know so many will blow it off, but this is our future we are toying.
We cannot let Abbott fuck up our country.
Source: somethingsomethinginmay
Just a brief blog saying… I’VE FOUND SUPER SENTAI FROM THE SHOWA PERIOD! Currently running Sun Vulcan and Liveman which has a big year difference (Sun Vulcan from 1981 and Liveman from 1988, also the year I was born). I’ve been searching for some Showa period for quite some time now because I can only seem to find Heisei period shows from the early 90s to the late 2000s or so. It brings my total of Super Sentai series up to about five which I am trying to watch in chronological order (the other three are from the Heisei Period XXI).
The reason why I want to watch something from the Showa period is because it should contain less CGI than the other shows. From what I have watched so far, it is really technical in camera angles, explosions (heaps more explosions) and your typical Tokusatsu techniques that are really in their prime around this time. I am still in that school of mind from early Heisei period shows because of my earliest influence of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and having watched the entire Zyuranger series. Daizyujin is still my favourite giant robot to date out of all the Super Sentai shows I have watched.
I apologise to my regular readers who have read the last few blogs based on my fascination with tokusatsu because I should write about something voice over related soon enough. But at the same time, I hope you might also enjoy them and maybe discover for yourself that there may be a new genre of TV series you might get into just like I have. Trying to browse through an extensive history of Japanese television does your head in a tad but it is enjoyable to watch. Hoping to get onto some other Tokusatsu shows outside of the Super Sentai series, even try and check out some of the stuff outside of Japan including a series called “France Five”.
For those who read my blog on occasion or whenever you get the chance, you may know that I have spent a fair amount of time watching tokusatsu superhero shows mainly Super Sentai. I’ve completed three series from the Heisei Period XX (Zyuranger, Dairanger and Jetman) which were all from the early 90s. At the moment, I have started watching a couple of Super Sentai shows from the Heisei Period XXI (the 2000s stuff) which includes shows such as Shinkenger and Magiranger.
From my first impressions of the Heisei Period XXI shows, I can tell they have come a long way from their Heisei Period XX counterparts. A lot more CGI is used and it is heavily modern in terms of visual and special effects but it still retains the typical suitmation and themes. I am keeping this brief since I have yet to come across any Super Sentai shows from the Showa period (eg. Battle Fever J, Sun Vulcan, Bioman and the sort) or from the very early Ishinomori Series (Gorenger and J.A.K.Q).
One episode in to Shinkenger and I have to say, I am finding it a little hard to adjust. I don’t know, it is just that I prefer something that looks more like a tokusatsu show/film in the traditional sense. More practical special effects than over the top CGI. I prefer more classic looking techniques in terms of suitmation and real time explosions. This is the stuff that appeals to me in this genre but I guess when you want to do more and stay with the times then this style of Super Sentai would probably be more right up your alley.
Although, this would not stop me from attempting (to the best of my ability and wherever I come across Super Sentai) to try and watch all 37 series. I don’t know how I would go watching EVERY movie ever made from Super Sentai but it would be a fair effort if I did manage. I know I am still yet to watch any Kamen Rider or Ultra Man (I’ve seen bits and pieces of Ultra Man) and I know some of you have told me about particular series to watch. For the time being, I am also looking at getting some Godzilla movies happening including the original Gojira. I just wish more of these Japanese classics would be released on Blu-Ray. I am trying to transition from having DVDs to Blu-Ray but I can’t exactly get Akira Kurosawa films on Blu-Ray at this time. My Anime collection is also going through this process (how I long for the Blu-Ray version of Cowboy Bebop).
Anything else I need to rant about, oh yeah, I’m not going to bother in getting a copy of Mothra. I just watched it recently (the English dub since I couldn’t get a Japanese dub) on Crackle for XBOX Live and I didn’t think it was very good. It was so slow that I was pretty much falling asleep the whole time.
UPDATE: Attempting to watch three series at a time to get a lot more out of what I watch. Currently watching from Heisei Period XXI:
- Magiranger
- Dekaranger
- Shinkenger
Photoset reblogged from (And what of how small, and of how fragile…) with 8,150 notes
Not sure if this is interesting for you guys.
Around 6 years ago (gasp) I did a bunch of lectures on animation theory. One subject was how textures of movement have evolved over the years, alongside the more obvious progression of design.
I made these videos to illustrate more clearly how contrast in timing was something that has a clear progression from the 30s to the 90s. The timechart below each clip represents relative change in space between drawings - from the ultra linear early animation - to the soft bouncing of Classic era Disney - to the exaggerated Warner Bros style - brought to it’s peak by John K (in my opinion).
Sorry about the quality on these gifs. I’ll post more stuff like this if theres any interest.
Very interested! please do!
Source: thedavidoreilly
hardboiledandwutnot asked: You're going to love Kamen Rider. I can recommend any season, really, but probably the best one to get a feel for the franchise would be W (which, incidentally, is my favorite so far). It's a bit hard to explain, but my best attempt would have to be cyborg karate bugmen on motorcycles (at least, in the older ones. Now it's just karate bugmen on motorcycles I guess???) Showa era wise I suggest starting with Kamen Rider Black.
Thank you Shou for the recommendations. I’ll be sure to check those two shows out when I get the chance. Oh and cheers for following my blog. I hope you enjoy my blogs relating to voice over, animation and lately, my current fascination with tokusatsu shows.
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It is quite a ride, a journey if you will. The more you watch, the more you cannot stop watching and it can take up a lot of your time. After my last blog going on about Tokusatsu shows, I have officially finished two series of Super Sentai so far:
- Kyouryuu Sentai Zyuranger
- Chojin Sentai Jetman (I may of added a “u” in my previous blog in the word “Chojin” but apparently this is the correct spelling)
So that is roughly altogether 101 episodes total. Kyouryuu Sentai Zyuranger with 50 and Chojin Sentai Jetman with 51. Also, because Super Sentai has been an ongoing franchise, that also means that I have watched two series of Super Sentai out of the 37 that exist. I could only imagine how long it would take me to watch every series of Ultraman or even Kamen Rider for that matter.
Animated series are no different. If you finish an entire series, it is kind of sad because you know there isn’t anything else after that show. Unlike some shows which are made season after season then you find yourself dying to watch the next season. Game of Thrones for example is one of those shows. I know the third season just started recently but once I get around to watching those episodes, I know I will be satisfied.
Here is a list of Animation/TV shows I have watched in their entirety (including the two shows I have already mentioned above):
- Cowboy Bebop
- Samurai Champloo
- Hellsing
- Neon Genesis Evangelion
- Futurama (up to Season 7 for now until more seasons are made)
- Robot Chicken (up to Season 5, Season 6 isn’t released on Blu-Ray in Australia yet)
- Game of Thrones (up to Season 2 but waiting to watch Season 3)
- Macgyver
- Daria
- Earthworm Jim
- Invader Zim
- Drawn Together
- Mortal Kombat Conquest (angry about this show because it got canceled during a cliffhanger that was never resolved despite being a popular show)
- Harvey Birdman: Attourney at Law
- Highlander (TV Series, I even met Adrian Paul who played the lead character Duncan Macleod, nice guy)
That is all I can think of for now but if you think about how many episodes/seasons there are in some of these shows, that is a lot to take in over the course of many days/months/years. Obsessive to be a completionist to watch an entire series but it is somewhat satisfying. A list of movies I have seen would crush my mind because I have seen too many.
Now if only I could find some more tokusatsu shows to watch during my downtime between acting/voice over.
UPDATE: I just finished Gosei Sentai Dairanger. This one took a fair few episodes to really get into it because I just felt that I could not connect with the characters well enough and get involved in the story as much. It does get better if you hold out for a whole bunch of episodes. When I watched Zyuranger and Jetman, the moment their theme songs came on, I was always pumped to watch one episode after another. This show’s theme song was a bit… meh. The series looks great, the robots are cool (not to mention a talking sword and a giant robotic talking turtle), the mythology behind it was eventually easy to follow.
I only say this because Zyuranger had a nostalgic thing for me since I used to watch Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers and a majority of that footage was from this show. I enjoyed Jetman because it paid homage to an Anime series called Gatchaman and showed that this team seemed more “human” and they had excellent character development to show for it.
Photoset reblogged from RUBBERNINJA ANIMATIONS with 4,163 notes
Some tips from Directing Animation on working at home. Even if you’re not employed yet, these tips could help you with any art you’re making at home.
Some great advice for people who need to work from home on animation. More about the writers books in the link above!
Great advice for those working from home whether it be animation or any type of freelance work you may provide.
Source: wannabeanimator
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I have to admit, I love Japanese culture but there is something special about Tokusatsu shows that has made me a convert to watching films/shows of this genre. Tokusatsu is a genre that usually deals with superheroes, monsters or fantasy themes and makes very good use of special effects. Lately, I just can’t stand another full blown CGI flick that Hollywood tends to throw at us again and again. Michael Bay (as much as I kind of despise a little) what he has done with Transformers has got the right idea, practical special effects. Current Asian films if they can pull it off use amazing stunt teams and hardly any CGI at all. CGI is good in small doses but there is something exciting about practical special effects which draws me to watching this genre. The use of pyrotechnics, cables, fight choreography, make up, costumes, model cities as well as model vehicles to form giant robots looks like a great undertaking. I’ve watched some behind the scene footage on how they filmed old Godzilla movies and I have to say, it is an amazing amount of work to pull that kind of stuff off.
I grew up as a child watching Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers back in the 1990s and without thinking about it too much, I did find it to be an exciting show when you have these superheroes fighting monsters one after the other then forming their giant robot with their distinct smaller robots. I just remember feeling satisfied every time the Megazord would take out his giant sword and pretty much strike that monster time and time again which would anger the main villain, Rita Repulsa. I kind of grew out of watching Power Rangers because the older I got, the more cheesy it became (despite the fact it was cheesy still back then). I remember a guy back in my school days who was obsessed with Power Rangers and I never quite understood it.
A few years back whilst looking up stuff on the internet, I discovered the origins of what would become Power Rangers. I read an article that talked about Japanese footage being used every time they would have their costume changes as well as fighting in their giant robot. What I uncovered would blow my mind. This would be my first introduction to Super Sentai. Super Sentai has been going on for 37 seasons all starting with Gorenger back in 1975. I had to look up the costumes out of curiousity in every single season and I am just amazed with the ideas they have come out with. Each team has a different theme, some come from Dinosaurs, Pirates, Samurai, Chinese Mythology, Ninjas and even Birds. I noticed Gorenger was very unique because they all had capes and big googly looking eyes on their masks. Battle Fever J would have actual robotic looking faces and is considered to be an alternate timeline in the Marvel Universe (this was because there was a live action Japanese Spiderman show in which Spiderman had his own giant robot). Because of this Spiderman show heading into the mid 1980s roughly, all the teams would have giant robots to command.
The first series I began to watch was Kyouryuu Sentai Zyuranger, which is the 16th series in the franchise which was later adapted into Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. Instead of spoilt, American teenagers given powers instantly, the show took a slow start by introducting the fact that our five warriors all awake from an ancient slumber as well as the ancient villain, Witch Bandora (or Rita Repulsa for the American audiences). What I enjoyed about Super Sentai, in particular this series, is that it was first they started morphing into their costumes, then they would find their ancient, powerful weapons then the previous weaker weapons they had to use before. Their guardian beasts would also be uncovered slowly with each passing episode until they began to form Daizyujin (the Megazord). This is what makes Super Sentai, being the original, superior to Power Rangers:
- Story development
- Story arcs
- Character development
- Things just made a lot more sense
- They work to overcome their struggles
- No spoilt bratty teenagers being given powers they were clearly not ready to use
Each series (depending on which series you watch) has about 50 episodes each (some series are longer or shorter). So if you can imagine watching just one series of this, your brain has to take in a fair amount of context. For example, the Green Zyuranger and how he makes sense in the story who starts out evil after being awakened from his ancient slumber but later helps the Zyurangers fight Bandora’s evil despite not having enough time to live having to come in and out of his infinite chamber in which time fades every time he leaves. I find it once you get hooked on a series, you become familiar with the characters and their motives.
At the moment, I am watching another season called Choujin Sentai Jetman. This is the series with the bird theme. I am highly enjoying this series because the characters (besides the leader) do not know how to fight nor fly their vehicles. This makes for excellent character development and makes it interesting. I have also found halfway through the series, they make some changes to how the bad guys are created but still keep that same story momentum. Zyuranger did this as well by making their enemy golems as well as their Dora monsters stronger by constructing them with a different type of clay.
That is my two cents for the time being. I am yet to actually sit through some old Godzilla films but am highly enjoying Super Sentai at the moment. There is so much to take in when you get involved with a series like this. I have watched Ultraman before and am still yet to find some Kamen Rider. The mythology created for these shows is mindblowing. Yet highly creative. If you happen to read my blog and would like to let me know of any shows/movies that you can recommend in the tokusatsu genre, that would be amazing. Just drop a comment in my question box and I will surely be thankful for your suggestions.
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Hey everyone,
I finally decided to get around to doing part six of this blog series. I have covered pretty much every channel I can think of on free to air TV that has shown cartoon after cartoon from my childhood right up into my teens. Tonight’s blog is going to be about the multicultural channel SBS. SBS has a diverse selection if movies, documentaries and television shows from many different countries. But on Monday nights between 8.30pm-10.00pm, nothing was sacred. These were the shows I watched during my teen years.
The first show I remember watching was South Park. When this came around the late 90s, you would see the t-shirts everywhere and see these 8-10 year olds telling people to screw themselves or go fuck themselves etc. The obscene stuff. What started out as paper cut out animation soon evolved into some clean looking animation with a unique flat look with slight elements of HD in parts. This is the show everyone always talked about the next day, especially if it seemed controversial.
Another show that came into my head was a strange little cartoon sketch show known as The Mr. Hell Show. The Mr. Hell Show was essentially the Devil in a snazzy suit that used to show animated sketches (much like you would see in a Family Guy gag reel). I still remember Thomas The Tank in which he was not a train but an actual tank and a little baby seal who used to have flashbacks of his parents dying in which he would turn psycho and just kill everyone in sight.
Quads is another one that just came to mind while trying to recall all of the shows I had watched. This one had that weird, squiggly looking animation style and featured a handicapped main character who inherits a mansion and lives with a bunch of other handicapped individuals including a talking severed head. This was one of the obscure ones that I didn’t really get into that much.
Crank Yankers (although not animation) caught my attention in the fact that being obscene, muppet esque characters with some pretty good voice over turned prank phone calls into interesting looking conversations. You would hear comedians such as Sarah Silverman or voice actors such as Billy West on occasion. A lot of slapstick and foul language.
Drawn Together was the ultimate show that went beyond some of the things even Family Guy and South Park were doing from time to time. Starring a talented voice cast featuring Jess Harnell, Cree Summer, James Arnold Taylor, Tara Strong and a whole lot more. It was based around reality TV shows which were quite popular at the time. All the character came from their respective shows: The Disney Princess, the Hanna Barbera detective/musician Josie and the Pussycats type woman, the comic book superhero, the weird cartoon thing, an internet cartoon pig, a video game character, a 1950s Betty Boop style woman and an extremely violent Japanese pocket monster. I happen to have all three seasons (and the movie) so I watch them back every now and again. Another cool thing about this show is that it was entirely hand drawn. Most animation tends to be very digital because hand drawn cartoons can take forever to animate.
I would hate to cut it short but that is pretty much what I saw during that time on SBS. Thanks for sticking with me if you have read the previous entries. I’m pretty sure that covers my childhood-teens saga of watching animation.
The next blog will be at some different time as I am not always consistant with my writing. I hope you have enjoyed this blog series so far.
Catch.
Kyle.
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