Cyber-Samurai seeks Justice Society for Looney fun with the Yamadas! - Renegade Animation #19
Mike and Cameron are back with another astonishing installment of Animation news and views! First up is brand new Netflix anime, Yasuke! Then the boys review the latest batch of Looney Tunes cartoons, streaming on HBO Max. Next is DC’s animated feature, Justice Society: World War II! Finally, we debut a new segment, The Ghibli Journey, where our dynamic duo deliver their take on My Neighbors the Yamadas. Join us, won’t you?
Let’s get up to date with The News:
RIP, Billie Hayes.
Disney released a brand new Ghost and Molly McGee trailer, advertising the tween-focused series’ debut on the Disney Channel. Meanwhile, Nickelodeon released a new Rugrats revival trailer for Paramount Plus, featuring their latest CG take on the classic cartoon. A new season of the anime series Made in Abyss will debut soon on HiDive. Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama took to the interweb to announce a brand new Dragon Ball Super movie, delighting the millions and millions of Goku stans around the world on Goku Day, which apparently is a thing. The new Super movie will be a follow up to Dragon Ball Super: Broly and will release in 2022, so have at it, DBZ fans! Finally, there was some sad news as we learned that prolific performer and talented voice actress Billie Hayes passed away at the age of 96. Hayes appeared in such films and series as HR Pufnstuf, General Hospital, Darkwing Duck, The Batman, Teen Titans, Shrek Forever After, and Transformers: Rescue Bots. May she rest in peace.
Yasuke (Netflix) Review:
“Yasuke is a visually stunning, yet overly ambitious anime produced by MAPPA and created by LeSean Thomas. My one major issue with the series is that it can kind of feel at times a little tonally inconsistent, adding a fantasy element to the story of a real life historical figure. But credit where credit is due, the animation is stellar, the voice cast is excellent, and the music by Flying Lotus adds a nice atmospheric touch to the experience.” - Captain Kaye
New Looney Tunes Cartoons Impressions:
“Anyone who follows me knows that the Looney Tunes were my first major fandom, growing up, so to see the whole gang, led of course by Bugs, Daffy, and Porky, pop up on these new shorts is a real treat! The addition of the Tasmanian Devil in his two solo episodes is a highlight, as is the opportunity to see Pete Puma, a character who hasn’t been featured prominently in the shorts since the 1950s, though he did show up in the 2010s Looney Tunes show as a background character. I also loved the new in-between segments with Beaky Buzzard, Foghorn Leghorn’s solo appearance, as well as the surprising return of the Gremlin, one of Bugs Bunny’s greatest foils. Certainly worth watching, as the team at Warner Bros. Animation continue to impress us with these new shorts!” - Captain Kaye
Justice Society: World War II (VOD) Review:
“The film tells an original story involving The Justice Society of America, a group of heroes aiding the allies in World War 2, who make an ally from the future who sends them on a history-changing adventure. One of the most immediately refreshing things about this film is the absence of Batman in any capacity. Nothing wrong with the character, I just appreciate that some of DC's other heroes are getting their time to shine. As a fan of the JSA, between this movie, Stargirl on the CW, and the upcoming Black Adam film, it's just been a great couple years for this team. What's interesting about this story is how well it pays tribute to comic books past and present. For example, it's later revealed that instead of traveling to the past, Barry Allen traveled to a parallel Earth, thus taking a page from Gardner Fox's Flash of Two Worlds. There are two problems that stop the film short of becoming a classic like many of DC's previous DTV entries. One of them is the animation, which can be a little clunky at times when mixing its gorgeous 2D character designs with the occasional CGI buildings and vehicles. The other is the runtime, par for the course when it comes to these films, sure, but that makes the subplot involving Steve Trevor and Diana feel that much more forced, even if it does eventually have a nice payoff. On the whole, I enjoyed this movie quite a bit.” - Captain Kaye
My Neighbors the Yamadas (HBO Max, VOD) Review:
“I have a confession to make. Aside from Spirited Away and The Earwig and the Witch, I have not seen a good majority of the films from Studio Ghibli. This is why Cameron and I have introduced a new segment on Renegade Animation called the Ghibli Journey, where each episode we'll review a Studio Ghibli film chosen at random. This week, we'll be discussing My Neighbors the Yamadas, written and directed by Isao Takahata. The film is based on a yonkoma manga titled Non-Chan by Hisaichi Ishii, and is basically a series of slice of life vignettes depicting the everyday struggles of your typical middle class family living in urban Tokyo. Honestly, one of my favorite things about this film is just how much it stands out from the rest of the Ghibli filmography. Particularly when it comes to the art style, it's almost a complete departure from the typical anime aesthetic, with Takahata instead choosing to replicate the minimalist comic strip style of the manga. That minimalist style informs the overall tone of the film as well, as the stakes are much lower and more character driven. Speaking of characters, I freaking love this family, and the English voice cast is spot on! Considering this studio's massive reputation, I can understand why it isn't talked about enough compared to some of their heavy hitters. Nevertheless, I'll still give it my highest recommendation if you've never seen it before.” - Captain Kaye
Well, there you have it, folks! Thank you so much for listening to another wonderful Animation extravaganza, and we’ll be back next week with the Spring 2021 anime preview! As always, let us know how we’re doing in the comments below! Be safe, take care of each other, and we’ll see you soon!
