What I watched in September: Digest Version

b DMC (Detroit Metal City) live-action movie: Not as gleefully profane as frequently as the manga, but that's to be expected because movie audiences usually prefer something that more directly resembles a linear plot.  Some of the good early moments of the series are in here, but sometimes it feels a bit like a Cliff's Notes version.  On the whole, it's coherent and frequently hilarious, especially when you remind yourself that this is the guy who played L in DeathNote and Shin in Nana and that guy in Gantz . . .  What can I say?  This guy can disappear into a role.

And what a weird role this is.  Soichi Negishi is a 20-something, pop-music-loving schmuk who secretly fronts a Glam Rock metal band to pay the bills.  There's a pop-loving girl he likes, crazy fans, trendy pop-singers, psycho band-mates, and a manager from hell (considerably cleaned up from the manga but still plenty horrifying).  There is profanity, vulgarity, and all manner of Very Wrong Things.  And some nice lessons couched in those Very Wrong Things.  Japanese live-action movies and dramas can be a weird experience because of the over-acting, and the manga it's based on is already so far over the top that this could have been a train wreck.  Somehow it wasn't.  Go to DMC, indeed.

b Heroic Age: Things blow up!  There is frantic instrumental music!  Laws of physics are totally mocked!  Earnest monologues are delivered sincerely!  It's all very epic and confusing, but once upon a time there was this super advanced race called the gold tribe, and then there may have been a war and for some reason the gold tribe left and gave some special creatures behind to let them duke it out to determine which tribe will dominate.  I think.  Anyway, there's lots of fighting and tragic backstories and unrequited love geometries and good and evil and betrayal and weirdoes.  It's not as bad as it could have been, but sometimes it was dialed up to 14 on a scale of 10, and the unintentional hilarity was too much.  Other times, despite that, it was really sad or touching.  Maybe it would have been more coherent if I hadn't watched it stretched across a couple months.

"That's . . . kind of creepy." (re: Age's painting)

"Don't eat my aircraft!"

"If Age gets lost, you bring him back."
"The path that leads to more peace is worth fighting for."

b Moon Phase: Really decent dub for this slightly oddball show.  There is a high lolicon ick factor that is sometimes impossible to ignore, but there is also this weird stage-yness.  It's kind of like breaking the 4th wall (which happens sometimes, too), and the effect is quite odd in an anime but not horrible.  It's jarring but not terminally so.  I give it extra kudos for totally not showing any of the climactic showdown battle AT ALL!  Bwahahah.  Well played.  : )  This isn't really an action show, after all, so why blow your budget when everyone knows how things will play out anyway?  It makes me want to read the whole manga to see if the same thing happens there.  It's a mostly happy, slightly confused ending and a weird ride, but I enjoyed it.

"One thing I know how to do is honor the heck out of an obligation."

"It's just the fruit of my daily training."
"Well, then, meet the fruit juicer!"