Lazarus Part 1 Episodes 1-3

2052AD.  Humanity lives a new carefree existence thanks to the miracle drug, Hapna.  But all of that comes crashing to a halt when the creator of Hapna, Dr. Skinner, who has been missing for three years, emerges and announces all who have taken Hapna will begin to die in 30 days.  With billions of lives at stake, a special task force, codenamed Lazarus, is created for the sole purpose of tracking Skinner down and finding a cure for the Hapna drug.  If this band of criminals cant complete their mission in less than 30 days, it’s game over for all mankind.

Shinichiro Watanabe is an amazing Anime director.  The worlds he creates and, maybe more importantly, the music he infuses within them, have created some of Animes greatest legends, specifically Cowboy Bebop.  I single out Bebop because it’s a popular and beloved title for several reasons, many of which combine to make an Anime even non Anime fans can get into and enjoy.  It’s a success high I feel Watanabe has been chasing and trying to replicate since from the Feudal Hip Hop  infused Samurai Champloo to the beautifuly composed but longer than it needed to be Carole and Tuesday (I’ve never seen Space Dandy so I cant weigh in on that one yet).  Lazarus is Watanabe’s latest directorial effort and it again feels like another attempt to be the next Bebop, complete with a wild card martial artist, Jazz and a futuristic yet realistic setting.  And yet the first few episodes leave a lot to be desired but it does confirm that Lazarus isnt just shaping up to not be Cowboy Bebop, it’s shaping up to not be anywhere as good as Samurai Champloo or Carole and Tuesday.
 

T5W#559-Top 5 Classic OVAs I Just Cant Get Behind

Been watching a lot of Anime retrospective lately and many of them focus on titles from the OVA boom that began in the 1980s.  For those not in the know, OVAs are the Anime equivalent of Direct to Video features and can range from movies to miniseries to full on shows.  They usually what I refer to as “The best of both worlds”, the budget of a feature film that can be applied a TV series length project.  Early OVAs also had a greater emphasis on the more extreme elements of Anime due to their direct to video status.  This meant more violence and gore, nudity and sex, even horror that pushed the boundaries of terrifying.  Because of this and more, OVAs became the most sought out titles in Anime and boosted Anime’s worldwide appeal during it’s heyday between the Mid 80s to Mid 90s.  Some of these titles were gateway points for many Anime fans.  Recently, I’ve reviewed a great deal of these classics and…I haven’t exactly had great things to say about them.  Maybe it’s because I wasn’t introduced to them so early on or maybe I’m being too critical.  But a lot of those golden age OVAs have a ton of issues in terms of plot, pacing and characters that you think would be more tightly controlled given how short they are.  I do understand their influence on the genre and fandom but they are flawed as heck.  It’s been a thought at the back of my head over the last year having tackled some of these titles recently, so on today’s Top 5 Wednesday, I’m counting down the Top 5 Classic OVAs I Just Cant Get Behind.

 

Pokémon Heroes: Latios and Latias

While taking a breather in the seaside city of Alto Mare, Ash and Pikachu encounter a pair of Pokémon siblings: Latios and Latias.  These two also happen to be the guardians of a treasure important to the history of Alto Mare, a treasure a pair of Team Rocket thieves have their sights on.  Now it’s up to Ash, Pikachu and their new friends to stop theft before Alto Mare becomes submerged by the waters its most famous for.

By the time Pokémon Heroes debuted in the US in 2003 (a year after it’s Japanese release), Pokémon fever had died down considerably and it went on to become the lowest grossing entry in the series stateside.  Now one could blame that lack of success on the movies being distributed by Miramax instead of Warner Bros. (deeper discussion there for another time).  Honestly though, Pokémon Heroes is a tough movie to market, much less release with any hype, when the movie itself is pretty lackluster and super underwhelming outing for Ash and Pikachu.  I really think this is the first Pokémon movie I’ve seen where calling it a “movie” feels inadequate.  Instead it feels more like the first time we’re seeing an episode of the series stretched painfully to feature length with some spiffy special effects and not much else to make it a movie level event.
 

T5W#558-Top 5 Thoughts on the Street Fighter (2026) Teaser Trailer

While I’ve always fancied myself more of a Mortal Kombat fan compared to Street Fighter (just rewatched the 2021 movie and I cannot wait for MKII in a couple of weeks), I’ve been rewatching the first teaser trailer for the upcoming Street Fighter movie with a lot of enjoyment.  Everything that was shown during the Game Awards Reveal late last year looks dialed up to 11 and I think that whether this movie is good or bad, it’s gonna be fun as hell.  So what’s got me making this one of my most rewatched trailers of the last few weeks?  Well our slew of Video Game themed (or I guess in this case Video Game Movie Themed) Top 5 Wednesday’s continues as I break down my Top 5 Thoughts on the Street Fighter (2026) Teaser Trailer.

Pokemon 4Ever: Celebi-Voice of the Forest

Deep in the forests of the Johto Region, a young Pokemon trainer from 40 years in the past is spirited to the future by a mysterious Pokemon called Celebi.  Here he meets Ash, Pikachu, Misty and Brock and soon they all become embroiled in a battle to save Celebi and the Forest from a rogue member of Team Rocket.  Two generations of Pokemon trainer must combine their talents and hearts to defeat a new breed of Dark Pokemon and ensure peace returns to the forest.

I’ll say this about the Pokemon movies: they may involve saving the world in some way but overall, so far, they’ve all been pretty unique adventures.  Evil clones, Legendary Birds, even a psychedelic wish castle, no one movie has been the same.  They do try to stand out from each other and Pokemon 4Ever continues that trend.  Here we get a battle for nature that feels right at home with the likes of Ferngully and Princess Mononoke.  It might not do things as poignant or extravagant as those examples but there’s still a bit of fun to be had, even if it never comes close to matching the awesomeness of Pokemon 3.