Robot Carnival- Cult Manga Review

I do love me a good old anthology series, they are short and if you get bored you only have to wait a few minutes for another episode to come on. Additionally, you avoid the bloat and filler as with each episode being self contained and everyone has their own opinion on what one is the best.

I had heard of Robot Carnival, it was described as a manga Fantasia which is very high praise indeed, but had never seen it. I sought to acquire a way to watch it and I finally managed to and I do have to say that it is indeed a tour de force of Japanese animation from the 80s.

There are 9 segments, each with their own story and director.

1: Opening by Atsuko Fukushima and Katsuhiro Otomo, has a barren post-apocalyptic village in the desert being barrage by the Robot Carnival. Fireworks, bombs and explosions ensure as the village is destroyed as the carnival makes its way onwards, ever oblivious to the suffering it has just caused.

2: Franken's Gears by Koji Morimoto has a scientist create a robot. He is pleased with his creation and teaches it to move only for it to turn and kill him.

3: Deprive by Hidetoshi Omori is like an awesome anime music video in which a young woman is taken by an attacking alien army. Her friend, a cybernetically enhanced boy, take the fight to the aliens and aims to rescue her against a backdrop of a large scale alien army.

4: Presence by Yasuomi Umetsu is about a married but unfulfilled inventor who creates an automaton. The automaton falls in love with the inventor but he destroys it as he can't love it back. Years later he regrets it as she still haunts his waking dreams.

5: Star Light Angel by Hiroyuki Kitazume is a tale of two friends who go to a robot themed amusement park. When one friend goes to meet her friends boyfriend she realises that he is a cad who gifted her a star necklace. Heartbroken she runs off, meets a robot who falls in love and tackles an evil robot. It all ends well as the girl and boy start to date. Totally weird but cool.

6: Cloud by Mao Lamdo is a beautiful short that features a robot boy walking and the background around him changing into wonderful surreal landscapes before he ascends to the skies.

7: Strange Tales of Meiji Machine Culture: The Westerner's Invasion by Hiroyuki Kitakubo takes us back to the early Meiji period and features two mechs fighting it out in their wood and cogs runs machines. It is a war of attrition as the mechs destoy that which they set out to protect.

8: Chicken Man and Redneck by Takashi Nakamura has a mech destroying the city by converting electrical machines into heinous machines which take over the land. It reminds me of A Night On Bald Mountain part of Fantasia in that the creatures all slowly march in time to the music and raise merry heck.

9: Ending by Atsuko Fukushima and Katsuhiro Otomo features the giant Robot Carnival coming to rest on the dunes and crumbling as the credits roll.

The music by the legendary Joe Hisaishi is sublime and adds much to panoply of creativity here. Some of the stories are fun and throwaway whilst others will haunt you long after you watch it. This is an amazing cultural artefact of a time when Japan's bubble economy was riding high and shows a confident and strident people making boundary pushing art. I'm glad to have seen it and I'm sure you will be too.

The World of Stonehenge at the British Museum- Exhibition Review

Being British, Stonehenge has always been a huge part of our collective consciousness. When I studied Anthropology at university over 20 years ago, I did a semester on Stonehenge and dove deep into its various symbolism and meanings with one of the leading lecturers from the time, Lionel Sims. I had never seen the stone circle until I drove past it for the first time in 2009, off to meet the prospective in-laws. It didn't look that awe inspiring from the A303 on the grey winters day but I knew that there was power in those stones and this exhibition wanted to show this. The achievement of these Neolithic ancients is often overlooked in favour of the Egyptian pyramids or Mesopotamian state building and mathematics but Stonehenge and other such monuments in the British vista were cleverly conceived and executed. Stonehenge aligns to sunrise on the winter solstice, showcasing the mathematical prowess of these peoples but that seems to be forgotten in light of other achievements across the world.

The exhibition, which runs at the British Museum from 17 Feb 2022 - 17 Jul 2022, seeks to rehabilitate the opinion of these 'primitive' people but that is quite the achievement without the stones of the hour being present. The megalithic structures are obviously still in residence in Wiltshire but what we get instead is a smorgasbord of 430 artefacts in their stead. The items are not just from Britain but cover Neolithic life across Europe as there is evidence of trade and cooperation. Through a chronological process we learn of the hunter-gatherer communities in Europe using hewn stone hand axes to chop down trees and start to gain a mastery over the land. The communal meals and collaboration feeding their spiritual need to connect with each other and nature. This commune created a solid and strong sense of belonging and connection.

Stonehenge Exhibition at the British Museum

The sunstone is a stunning piece of carved artwork from Italy and is thought to be around 4500 years old!

We see the elaborate carvings and grave goods that shaped their spiritual outlook of the world and the belief in spirits in nature, and, of course, their deep veneration of the Sun and Moon. The 2500 BC carved sunstone from Italy is a true highlight showing the people and animals having a procession around the sun. Having it near the beginning of the exhibition shows the true value the peoples placed upon community and kinship. In fact, the whole first part of the exhibition showed the power of kinship and the power of shamanism connected this to the natural world.

The 4000 year old remnants of a meal, which showed the cooperation between hunter-gatherer communities and the first farmers, is a powerful touch that showed shifting communities. It was also at this time that we saw more ornate burials as individualism and power of the individual came to the fore.

The most impressive moment for me was Seahenge, a monument made of wood that had to be removed from its Norfolk seashore home to preserve it. It was discovered in 1998 and returns here like a phoenix, the aged wooden columns standing in the perfectly lit twilight be-lying its 4000 year vintage. This curious creation brings the outside in in a stroke of powerful liminality.

The next part of the exhibition looks at the origin of metal working in Britain and the profound change it brought about, from creating tools to jewelry. There was a profound shift in developing a more complex model of the cosmos and the new artistic flourishes, patterns and designs shows this. In this part of the exhibition we have one of the most beautiful artefacts of note, the controversial Nebra Disc from Germany. It was found by illegal treasure hunters and was taken by the authorities and examined. Its provenance is questioned, with some stating it to be Iron Age but others claiming it is older, but the piece itself is stunning. It offers a map of the night sky with the Pleiades (Seven Sisters) twinkling between the sun and a crescent moon. The turquoise green background is vividly set against the golden embellishments. It is stunning and shows the sheer craftsmanship at work and appreciation and understanding of the solar cycle.

The final section looks at how the influence of Europe affected the culture in England as the Beaker People from the Netherlands brought along their own values, such as burials with goods and burials within Stonehenge. The trading of goods and the exchanging of ideas and values led to conflict and the beginning of empires in Europe but the shared legacy remained.

I walked away from the exhibition profoundly moved and touched by the humanity in what I had seen. The sense of connection of people making their way in the hostile world through community, understanding and love was inspiring and still resonated over the millennia.

The World of Stonehenge at the British Museum

As the sun set at the end of the exhibition I felt enlightened and heightened.

Costume Quest Season 1 Part 2 Review

Costume Quest is the animated show based on the popular indie games from 2010 and 2014. It took many years to get the animated treatment but boy but when season 1 part 1 released was it a real treat.

For the uninitiated, the story concerns four children; Wren, the strong headed girl, Reynold, her nervous and scaredy-cat twin, Everett, the confident young boy, and Lucy, the shy, quiet girl, who battle against the dark forces of the nougat eating monsters that lurk in their sleepy village of Auburn Pines. To help them in their quest they use a variety of magical costumes that have transformative powers.

The initial 7 episodes were a short, breezy watch and I said at the time that the story arc developed well as the characters went through strong personal growth. Now, after a few months of waiting part 2 of season 1 dropped a few days ago and it builds on all the good stuff that had gone before but now goes in at a deeper level.

The characters internal struggles come through and affect the group dynamics. Lucy worries if the reason she doesn't connect with her mother is because she's a nougat eating monster, Wren and Reynold struggle to reconcile their difference of opinions on how to tackle evil Bob and Everett is concerned that his dad is too 'boring'. There are high states as Bob Dickerson becomes Nougatown Mayor and takes control of the nougat mine, providing his Repugnians with the supply they need to become powered up and take over the world. This whole season ups the ante somewhat and it is a real rollercoaster ride of emotions as the kids find themselves costume-less and unsure who to trust.

I won't spoil the ending but it is an extremely satisfying conclusion that wraps things up pretty nearly, but there is an ending stinger that could mean season 2 with a new group of kids in a different town. I hope the series continues as it's cute, quirky and just beautifully animated in its own endearing way. 

LINK: Costume Quest Season 1 Part 2 Review

LINK- Disenchantment- Complete Series 1 Review

LINK- Carmen Sandiego- Complete Series 1 Review

LINK- Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Season 1 Review

LINK- Gravity Falls Complete Series Review

LINK- She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Season 1 Review

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Season 2- Complete Series Review

She-Ra and the Princesses of Power on Netflix is a modern reimagining of the classic ’80s Filmation series. She-Ra is a part of the He-Man universe and so holds a place in many fans’ hearts, and as expected this led to many debates about the redesign of the characters. Some arguments seemed to be reasonable, like some complaining about the more cartoony super deformed art style, or the redesign of She-Ra herself, but some seemed purposely argumentative and toxic like why was there a wider LGBTQ and minority ethnic representation on the show and why She-Ra herself was less 'feminine'.

I personally thought that She-Ra and the Princesses of Power Season 1 was an excellent 13 part animated series with a lot of heart. I knew that it would not please all fans of the 80s show but as a father 2 young daughters I liked the strong female lead, the characterisation of the entire cast and the well told Heroes Journey tale.

Well, this second series continues from where the last series ended with She-Ra still being trained by Lighthope and making slow progress. The Princess Alliance is holding strong against the continuous daily onslaught of Horde robots.

The story works from there as the Princesses start getting used to being friends as well as allies. Meanwhile, Catra is making good progress as Horde Captain by taking over many of the kingdoms but becomes increasingly disillusioned by the paperwork, red tape and slow bureaucratic busywork of it all. Hordak, meanwhile, is busy with his portal machine, looking for an intergalactic endgame. So, from this briefest of overviews you can see that there's a lot going on.

At only 7 episodes this series is light on storyline but it really focuses on the characters and the world of Etherea. Along the way it tackles some heavy topics like toxic friendships, ageism and bureaucracy through the lens of animation. The episode focusing on Shadow Weaver is excellent and offers us a look into her past, showing her descent from the light side. The MVP of this series however is Scorpia, the wannabe bestie/ lover of Catra. We see her try to get Catra to open up to the possibility of friendship and maybe more but to little success. Don't get disheartened though, it's not all edge lord stuff, there's plenty of fun and the D&D episode, 'Roll With It' shows that the writers are on a winning streak with this series.

I'm glad that this series exists, one with strong characters that aren't afraid to work together to challenge the status quo.

Disenchantment- Complete Series 1 Review

After nearly 30 years of The Simpsons and nearly 20 years of Futurama, Matt Groening (ably assisted by Simsons alumni, Josh Weinstein and Bill Oakley) have created a new animated series. Disenchantment is the tale of Princess Tiabeanie 'Bean', the hard drinking and burping princess of Dreamland, a medieval fantasy land straight from many tales of yore. She is fated to be married to a Prince of whatever land her father sees as the most politically advantageous. However, Bean is a driven woman and her fate is linked to Elfo, an elf who escapes his magical land of pure maniacal happiness and Luci, a demon with a dark and mysterious past.

The trio end up together and the scene is set for an emotional roller-coaster for Bean as she battles her good and bad sides with the literal manifestations by her side.

In a crowded animation market with the meta Rick and Morty, darkly philosophical Bojack Horseman, gently family-centric Bob's Burgers and those stalwarts South Park, Family Guy and of course, the grandaddy, The Simpsons, how does this new show fit in?

Well, first of all the art style, whilst being unmistakably  Simpson-ish has a less garish colour palette. In places the show is quite beautiful with lots of carefully lit scenes, lent some oomph with flashy computerised transitioning shots. The standard medieval setting is beautifully realised and the attention to detail is astonishing, especially when it comes to sight gags such as the shop signage.

The animation in Desenchantment can be beautiful at times ©Matt Groening, Netflix

The animation in Desenchantment can be beautiful at times ©Matt Groening, Netflix

The voice acting is too notch with Simpson/ Futurama regulars Billy West, John DiMaggio and Tress MacNeille joined by Abbi Jacobson, Eric Andre and Nat Faxon. The standout voice actor is Matt Berry who plays the pompous arrogant Prince Merkimer with booming voice and faux gravitas. He gets the majority of the best lines and delivers then with aplomb, however he only appears in a few episodes and so feels underutilised.

The series has a mix of standalone episodes, where we get to know the characters and world further and add to the whole tapestry of the world. The episodes are:

Episode 1- Teabeanie is a hard drinking, hard fighting Princess of Dreamland and is set to be married against her wishes. She rebels and runs away, only to be pursued by her husband to be, Prince Merkimer.

Episode 2- The King attempts to use elf blood to create the Elixir of Life and so Elfo goes through progressively worse forms of torture. Bean tries to get rid of her betrothed with a visit to Mermaid Island.

Episode 3- Bean, Elfo and Luci steal a horse and carriage and go on a joyride whilst drunk on mead. They then move onto harder stuff and fall in with a bad lot and steal from Bean's family crypt. The King hires an exorcist to get rid of a demon he thinks is controlling his wayward daughter.

Episode 4- The King goes away for a few days and so Bean throws an immense party in the castle. Problems arise when the Viking horde gatecrash the party.

Episode 5- Bean is banished from the castle for her constant errant behaviour and so has to get a job in the 'real' world. She soon realises that she isn't cut out for menial work.

Episode 6- In an effort to teach her about responsibility King Zog has Bean represent his Kingdom as an ambassador when they travel to the land of the Dankmire, but things don't go according to plan when Bean gets drunk and offends the Dankmirians.

Episode 7- The trio visit a drugs den and under the influence of Bliss, have hallucinations. Elfo lies and tells Bean he has a lost love girlfriend, Bean then proceeds to find the figure, in the shape of a giantess. What could go wrong, right?

For the last 3 episodes the series is more narrative driven with a story arc and has a more emotional core. King Zod is still after the Elixir of Life but things take a turn as Elfo is kidnapped. A crusade is mounted to get him back and it leads to the lost city of Cramorrah and the Eternity Vial, the key to the elixir of life. The mission succeeds but things don't go according to plan.

This is a promising narrative arc that has clear influence from Indiana Jones and many other adventure matinee shows typical of the genre however, it all rings a little hollow as you are not invested in the characters as they haven't been developed enough. This is the main issue that I have with the series so far: the stories, while fine, are just not interesting enough overall. The final 3-parter does see an improvement in developing the characters and world along and hopefully in the second season (if there is one) there will be more of an emphasis on the bigger picture. Oh, whilst we are talking about the bigger  picture, stay for the end of episode 10 stinger a la Marvel films.

The show succeeds on some levels but not in others. Whilst more mature in content with its 12 rating, the writing isn't as crude or as acerbic as in South Park or *groan* Family Guy, or as clever as in The Simpsons at its peak or the characters as well developed as in Bob's Burgers. This all sounds unfair as all those series have been going for many years and the shows have got better and we've seen character development so I'm optimistic that Disenchantment will grow like Futurama did in the 2nd and 3rd season. In far smaller scope Scooby Doo Mystery Incorporated managed to deliver a story full of mystery and humour in just 52 episodes and Gravity Falls within 39 so it shows that series don't have to go on forever to deliver.

Overall, if you catch the series you won't be blown away but there is the promise of something building if it is given a chance.

LINK- Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Season 1 Review

LINK- Scooby Doo: Mystery Incorporated Season 2 Review

LINK- Gravity Falls Complete Series Review