Of Swords and Parasols

The Black Swan is an old pirate movie with Maureen O'Hara and Tyrone Power that I've had for ages but just now got around to watching.  It was quite fun, and about as far from and Errol Flynn swashbuckler as you can get(not that those aren't extremely fun.  Unlike Flynn's stalwart and true, dashing and noble pirates, Jamey Boy is a rogue with nothing resembling finesse and the bulk of his charm comes from the fact that his earnestness is combined with a complete lack of social skills.  There are no "Ha Has" and inspiring speeches from Jamey Boy, just loyalty and a determination to win his lady's heart, even though he questions his sanity in wanting said heart.  Jamey Boy, while still rather sanitized, is also far closer to being a pirate than any character Flynn ever played, and actually IS a pirate of his own volition, as opposed to being betrayed into being a pirate.  And Maureen O'Hara...well, i love Olivia de'Haviland, but while she's "spirited" Margaret is a pure spitfire...Jamey Boy falls for her when she bites him when he steals a kiss.  Where most heroines will protest and shy away, Margaret carries a pistol(and never once lets up on Jamey Boy for taking it away from her) tricks him into a false sense of security and then bashes him over the head with a rock, tears the hide off his superior who (rightly) thinks Jamey Boy kidnapped her and wants to punish him suitably, and when Jamey Boy leaves his sickbed before she thinks he's ready, she follows him out on deck and tears into him.  While I love Flynn's(and others') pirate movies, this was a very fun, refreshing change.

Ghost in the Shell: Solid State Society is a sequel to the two Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex series, set several years later and 2 year after Major Kusanagi leaves the force.  To avoid getting too far into it as I don't know how many on the flist plan to watch it and don't want spoilers(not revealing any important facts that aren't on the DVD cover) but the polt is normal GITS cyber noir.  It's interesting seeing the characters...most are largely the same as they were before, just grimmer(except Batou, whose life seems devoted to figuring out how to get The Major back on the force) though it was slightly disconcerting at first to see Togusa no longer being "the kid" and in a position of greater authority(short haired Batou was also something to get used to, but in a much smaller, less noticable way.)  Anyway, very good movie, and I doubt anyone who's only seen the other movies but not the series would have trouble following it(IIRC, the second movie didn't exactly follow the first, either)

And for 2 small Batou asides:

1)  He makes Togusa's daughter look like a teeny china doll(in the same way my brother turns my nephew from a good sized kid into a shrimp)

2) He really needs to work on his tendency to try to protect the major from anything and everything, even though she doesn't need it(hey, it may be among his most endearing traits, but it's not exactly smart of him...)

Sole downside:  The Tachikomas returned.  They're like cockroaches.  At least, unlike so very many manga/anime kids, they actually serves a purpose.  They're just annoying.

ETA: kingcrankycat assures me that I am delusional in thinking there was a plot variation in the first 2 GITS movies(ok, the delusional part is my phrasing, certainly not his) with the only plot variation in any GITS being The Major's final fate at the end of the first movie.  It's probably just the huge upgrade in animation between the two movies that throws me.

Note to self:  Don't watch things that require at least some attention to detail when you're half dead.  Seriously.

Anyway, GITS?  Still about the coolest anime ever. Techno-noir cybernetic detectives/troubleshooters who kick butt.  For a quick rundown on the series, click here. 
 
I'm still too out of it for a proper writeup(at least I've been hungry today and last night, and the complete lack of voice means my throat is trying to heal itself-not about to go near church tomorrow, though...not going near the kids-who will be upset if I avoid them-and not about to cough my way through service) but:  Kuze plot wasn't quite as good as the Laughing Man plot in season 1, though between the two, I prefer Kuze as a character.  Not nearly enough Togusa for me(still my favorite, and, IMO, he really does make the show because he's the average joe family man with a revolver who holds his own among the cybernetic machine gun toting superhumans) but it didn't really hamper my enjoyment.  Jealous Batou was endearing(ok, Batou is lovable and endearing in general)  Thing as a whole was, of course, great.

As I understand it, all that's left is a movie that'll be stateside in a month or two, then no more GITS: SAC.  Which makes me sad.

Should finish X tonight, unless I get distracted(which, knowing me, is not only possible but entirely probable) and am pondering my next anime.  Options are:

Ai Yori Aoshi/Ai Yori Aoshi: Enishi: Boy meets clutzy hopeless girl in a kimono, learns she's his childhood friend and his fiance(I guess no one thought to tell him?) and romance and comedy ensue.  Enishi is a sequel(I think?  They came together)

E’s Otherwise: Teens with superpowers working for Evil Organization(or so I gather)  Boy who worked for them to get his sister medical attention decides to leave when she doesn't get any better.  Sounds rather liked S-cry-ed, if Kazuma had started out working on the other side.

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Season 2: Detective robopunk noir about a team of cyborgs(most of them, anyway) who serve in whatever peacekeeping, terrorist/conspiracy stopping capacity they're needed for, even if it'stheir own higherups stirring up trouble.  Liked the movie, love the first series.

Gungrave: Hitman returns from the dead to get revenge on his killer and protect his girlfriend's(his?  I have no idea) daughter.  I think someone on my flist described it as Knives from Trigun, if he'd gotten his act together and been the protagonist.  Or something like that.  *vague memories of the post*

Inu Yasha:  Forget what eps I have waiting off hand. Main plot is essentially stalled out with the occassional baby steps forward, mostly worth watching for Sesshomaru, Rin, Sango, Miroku, Koga and Sango/Miroku(any of which makes it worth casual viewing, though)

Kyo Kara Maoh: Season 1: The ONLY shounen ai/yaoi to ever interest me, and that's because of the setup.  Watched at liked the first few eps when it first came stateside.  Parody of all the shojo manga about a girl from our world being the destined/special one in another(Fushigi Yugi, Inu Yasha, Escaflowne, Red River, From Far Away, etc.)  About a boy who gets sent to another world(I want to say he gets flushed down a toilet, but that sounds a little TOO odd so maybe I'm wrong) and learns he's the demon king, that his(male) sage is in love with him, and his lack of knowledge about local customs results in his finding himself engaged to the son of the former queen.  He, of course, being used to such stories having the normal person being the hero who vanquishs the demons, has a few problems adjusting to ideas like humans=meat and that he needs a demon sword to destroy the humans instead of a holy sword to save them, etc.  I'm always up for a well done parody, and everything about this is very much that.

Samurai 7: Scifi retelling of Seven Samurai.  Seen a few eps.  Very good, very gorgeous, keep putting it off because I want to watch the movie first, but I think I'm through waiting to feel like setting aside 3 1/2 HRs for a subtitled movie(not that I don't still plan to watch the movie)

Soul Hunter: Based on Chinese Mythology, end of the world, send a younger sorcerer not quite up to the job, etc.  Mostly wanna watch it for themythology aspect.

Opinions?

(oh, I also have Last Exile on the way, but don't know when it'll get here)

I didn't actually sit down and watch the whole series...I've seen the first 16 before, so of those, I just watched the episodes I really liked(not that there are any eps I don't like) and then the ones that were pertinent to the Laughing Man plot(which, in the end, only knocked 5-6 eps off, but hey...)

The series is set in an AU from the movie, and focuses on Major Kusanagi and the Section 9 forces in future-noir adventures and mysteries.  For those clueless about GITS, it's set in the near future where most people have traded in parts of their bodies, whether by choice or necessity, for cybernetic parts, and centers around Major Motoko Kusanagi, who became a full cyborg as a child(I forget if it was an accident or an illness) who heads up Section 9, a law enforcement unit composed of other cyborgs(with one exception)  She's one of the(if not the) strongest and most capable anime heroines out there and, though she claims to have no nostalgic attachment to humanity, clings to it more than she'd admit(and more than even Batou would call her on)

My favorite characters are Togusa, the sole member of the group whose body is entirely human aside from certain required cyber netics, and Batou, the Major's friend/confidant/enforcer.  Togusa is different from most anime characters in that he's a family man...happily married with 2 kids and a nice suburban house.  He's the only remotely normal member of Section 9, and also the youngest.  That and his tendency to go around trying to be a hero tends to get him teased a lot, especially by the Major(one of her few examples of humor.)  Batou is ex-everything covert and seems to take things lightly but is actually pretty serious and more than a bit of a mother hen.

The series is one of those that people talk about when they say none of the good anime ever gets released in the US, just the kiddy and fanservice-y stuff.  Except, you know, it has been licensed and released.  It's flat out one of the best animes to make it stateside, and also has some of the best animation(that almost completely avoids most of the normal anime animation themes) and one of the best soundtracks.

BTW, while i like the movie, I far prefer the series.