Anime Review: Metropolis

Welcome to the end of part 2 of Hair Metal Hysteria fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

This month has certainly been interesting. Steel Panther dominated July, not to mention a Sabaton review on the 4th, not to mention a quick post about the tragic Kyoto Animation fire. Not wanting to end things on a sad note, I figured I’d raise my middle finger to sadness, and get back to reviewing anime. It’s been a little bit since I actually did, since it was March when I did my last actual anime review (Excluding any of my HMO Classics posts). Picking out a title was difficult, but not impossible. After thinking about it a little, I went for something that might not seem like it would related to Hair Metal directly. So get on a little extra hairspray, put on your cyberpunk coat, and take a look at what would finally be the last movie that Osamu Tezuka would technically create, Metropolis. Let’s begin.

Story/Setup ***
From the back of the case:

“In the industrial, tri-level world of Metropolis, Duke Red is a powerful leader with plans to unveil a highly advanced robot named Tima. But Duke Red's violent son Rock distrusts robots and intends to find and destroy Tima. Lost in the confusing labyrinth beneath Metropolis, Tima is beginning a friendship with the young nephew of a Japanese detective. But when Duke Red separates the two innocents, Tima's life and the fate of the universe is dangerously at stake.”

2 things. First, this movie is a tribute to the 1920s black and white original. How much it borrows (or copies if you’re cynical) from that movie isn’t really known, as it really doesn’t feel in any way like the original. Second, while the story does appear to be ambitious, in reality it’s actually rather weak. It tries to go places, but it doesn’t really do much. It’s a shame, as the original version of the film was pretty ambitious with it’s story & characters (More on that in a moment), while Osamu’s take on it was weak at best. I say weak, because Metropolis was released years after he died, and it’s possible that the studio used what little he had written up.

Animation
If there’s one key thing going for Metropolis, it would be the animation. Even if you’re not heavily familiar with Osamu Tezuka’s work, you at least know some of his quirks. The faces of the characters are always a clear sign that you’re watching something created by Mr. Tezuka (Or at least something inspired by him), as well as a great attention to detail in everything. Given the inspiration, Metropolis is a great mix between high technology & old world, and has a bit of cyberpunk behind it. Nothing is ever rigid, nor is there any fading when it comes to the colors. This definitely is one of the reasons why you should watch the whole movie. Just for the artwork alone!

Voice Acting
As with the animation, the voice acting for Metropolis is fantastic! Though I don’t recognize any of the actors who speak in this movie, everybody does a great job with the roles they were given. Even character & individuals who’re only given just a few second sound nice. Also, while this doesn’t deal with the voice acting specifically, the soundtrack for Metropolis is great. Though I’m obviously a Metalhead through and through, I do appreciate the usage of New-Orleans style Jazz & original music composed by Toshiyuki Honda. There’s even the Ray Charles classic I Can't Stop Loving You being played during the climax, though sadly it’s not included on the physical soundtrack.

Characters ***
Like I said earlier, the characters of this movie aren’t the strongest around. They aren’t as bad as the cast of say Crimson Wolf (See here), but they’re not well made either. Nobody is necessarily flat in any way, but everybody comes across as incredibly basic. Whether there wasn’t enough material written up by the time Osamu Tezuka died, or the studio didn’t know how to use the material available properly, I’m not sure.

Availability & Pricing
Metropolis is actually pretty available to purchase despite it’s age. The original 2002 edition can be found on Amazon, and while there’s only 15 new copies, they start out at nearly 16 dollars in price. However, there’s the far more recent Blu-Ray release in a Steelbook edition. Complete with a bunch of special features, the 35 dollar price (Currently on sale at 20 dollars) but be a little too much for Otaku with a budget, yet at the same time is worth it if you have the cash.

Overall Impression & Rating
Metropolis is definitely one of Osamu Tezuka’s best!......if you prefer more “Spectacle” type anime. Sure, it might not have the biggest amount of depth with it’s story & characters, but the visuals are incredible, the voice acting is top notch, and overall is a beautiful movie. For hardcore Tezuka fans this is definitely something to see out, but for everybody else it’ll be more of a curiosity than anything else.

Metropolis gets a 7 out of 10.

Well ladies & gentlemen, this concludes part 2 of Hair Metal Hysteria. July was certainly an interesting month for this festival, what with Steel Panther & this film. However, August isn’t that far away, and thus part 3 is coming. I won’t spoil things, but suffice it to say.......it’s gonna be fun. See you all real soon!



***
Note: the movie also deviates from the manga that Tezuka wrote, and that is a whole kettle of fish in & of itself. Characters in this movie are either changed just a little, or changed drastically from that of the comic. I never read the manga, and there’s only a blurb about it in the Metropolis article on Wikipedia.

In Memoram: Kyoto Animation Fire

I know that by now a majority of you have heard about this. I was crying on and off throughout the day, and by the time I actually decided to make this post, I actually wasn't sure if I should type something up. With how I've been feeling, I figured why not & create this. Perhaps it'll help me vent in someway, and maybe put some of you at ease.

At around 10 A.M. (JSP) on Thursday, July 18th, 2019, a fire broke out at the iconic Kyoto Animation Studio. Said fire would claim the lives of 33 people, with 36 others injured at various stages, and putting many past & potential projects into jeopardy (And possibly putting the company in jeopardy as well). Sadly, this fire was not an accident, but was instead an act of arson. Though details are sketchy, eyewitness reports say a 41-year old man broke into the studio, shouting "Die" & "You ripped me off", and pouring gasoline all over the place. In a moment of irony, the arsonist himself would get injured as well, and is currently in the hospital due to the wounds he received. Further details will come at a later time.

This is.....almost impossible to put into words. Kyoto Animation are one of the good guys of the animation industry in Japan. Almost as kind & pure-hearted as Superman, if I'm being genuinely honest. Where as most other studios seem to jip their employees for their work, Kyoto Animation treated those under their eye with far more care & respect (Not to mention paying them considerably better than a lot of other studios). I hope in time the wounds suffered have healed, and Kyoto Animation comes back stronger than ever.

My final words: to the people of Japan & Kyoto Animation, my condolences to every one of you. To the nimrod who had the gall to commit this act.....I pray that Frank Castle isn't a real person. Cause if he was......well, you know. Anyways, I got something considerably less bleak, so look forward to that.


(Further update: it turns out that the arsonist in question has a bit of a past....not to mention mental issues: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20190719_28/)

(Further update 2: According to the president of Kyoto Animation, all physical & digital works were destroyed in the fire)


***
If you want some more information on this tragedy, check out the links below

Kyoto Animation Fire (BBC)

Kyoto Animation Fire (Polygon)

Kyoto Animation Fire (ClowfishTV)

Album Review: Steel Panther's Lower The Bar

Steel yourselves fellow Otaku & Metalheads, cause it’s full speed ahead on my look at Steel Panther!

We took a look at Feel The Steel at the beginning of the month, and that was a joyous cacophony of raunchy sex, hairspray, and some fine Hair Metal tribute. The band would continue this trend for the next few release, until the album I’m examining in this review. 2017's Lower The Bar: would it still live up to the band’s usual standards of loving tribute to the 80s & all things comedic & dirty? Well, let’s not waste anymore time, and find out if the bar has been lowered!

Background
By the end of the 2010s, Steel Panther miraculously made a name for themselves. Feel The Steel in 2009, Balls Out in 2011, and All You Can Eat in 2014......they somehow managed to Grab Heavy Metal & nostalgia by it’s giant balls, and has kept it’s grip nice & tight since. Alongside an acoustic album in 2016 (Live from Lexxi's Mom's Garage) and a appearance on the Adult Swim call-in show FishCenter Live, they knew not to rest on their asses despite all the drugs, booze, and women. So they got into the recording studio, jamed as hard as they could, and on March 24th 2017 (Originally was intended for a February 24th release), Lower The Bar was released.

Reception for Lower The Bar was pretty good all over the place. In the U.S., it reached no. 40 on the Billboard 200, and made it to no. 1 on the Top Comedy Albums part of the Billboard. Meanwhile, it reached to no. 10 on the charts for Australian & New Zealand, no. 15 on the Ö3 Austria list, and it’s lowest perform position at no. 127 on the French SNEP chart.

Basic Description
Meh?

I find myself somewhat conflicted with actually labeling Lower The Bar with that word. Steel Panther aren’t a bad band, and their releases aren’t bad. Despite being a comedy/parody group, their devotion to Hair Metal & the 80s metal scene is incredibly genuine and very heartfelt (It’s ironic I use that word, considering how filthy & politically incorrect they are). Feel The Steel is incredibly enjoyable, Balls Out is incredibly enjoyable, All You Can Eat is incredibly enjoyable, and Lower The Bar is no exception. However, something seemed off to me as I devoured the music on this record. If anything, this release reminded me why Hair Metal eventually lost it’s popularity by the end of the 80s. By the end of that decade, there were so many hair bands, there was basically no room for experimenting & trying new things with the style. If it was intentional to sound repetitive as part of their act, as maybe a subtle nod to what the style was like by the end of the 1980s, then it’s genius! If it’s not intentional, then maybe it’s time for Steel Panther to change up their act a little.

Best Track
Poontang Boomerang.....for 2 reasons. 1: the music video is ridiculous! Basically, it plays out like a Hair Metal equivalent of MTV Cribs. Michael Starr is showing off his house, but beforehand kicks a girl out of his pad because his cat Poontang (One of the reasons the song has it’s name) meowed that she’s bad news. Sure enough, said girl comes back looking for blood, but is defeated by Poontang being used as the titular boomerang. Yeah it’s stupid, but for longtime Steel Panther fans, this is pretty much normal. 2: this song is massively catchy. Michael’s singing is great as usual, Stix bangs on the drums like a guy on a hooker, Lexxi is smooth with the bass, and Satchel knows his way with the guitar. If you’re humming even a tiny part of it, then it did it’s job.

Poontang Boomerang

Worst Track
Coming from someone that genuinely loves these guys, my only fault I can find with this album, and by extent their entire discography, is that......they all sound the same (Like I talked about earlier). If you’ve heard Lower The Bar, you’ve pretty much heard every other release! Likewise, If you listened to Feel The Steel, you heard SP’s 3 other records. The quality here is still fantastic as everything else, but it’s the same subject matter you heard 3 times prior. I still laugh all the same, but I wished they experimented at least a little.

Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:

Lower The Bar

Overall Impression & Rating
Lower The Bar isn’t a bad album by any means, but it is the release that will make or break the band for you. After 4 albums of effectively doing the same thing, if you’re still with them by this release, then you’re definitely going to be in it for the long haul. More casual fans will probably be turned off by Lower The Bar, but regardless of which side you’re on......it’s certain one of the more divisive releases of Steel Panther’s career.

Lower The Bar gets a 7 out of 10.

And that was Lower The Bar. Still a fine album from Steel Panther, but this one will be the tipping point for some fans. Next month I’m ending Hair Metal Hysteria on a high note, but before that I’ve got an anime review that absolutely screams Hair Metal. Until then, always ask for the best, and never lower your standards!

Album Review: Sabaton's Heroes

Happy Fourth Of July fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

Once again, it’s that time of year where our country celebrates the day when it became free from tyranny & transformed into it’s own nation. Sure, we’ve kind of fallen back into that state thanks to a certain somebody, but let’s not talk about that! Instead, let’s speak about the good things this day of the year gives to us. Let’s speak about the history, and let’s enjoy the memory of those who helped keep us safe. Not just those from this country, but from abroad as well. So, let’s take a quick trip to Sweden to see what Sabaton has to say about this!

It’s been a little bit since I covered these 5 Swedes from Falun. Last time it was back in 2017 when I dedicated the final month of Power Metal Pandemonium to them. Given that we’re getting a new album from them in 15 short days, It seems right to take a look at them once again. Given that the album I’m reviewing today just so happened to turn 5 years old back in May, it makes it an even more appropriate choice to cover. So get the barbeque started, pile up some fireworks, and enjoy my review of Sabaton’s 2014 classic, Heroes. Let’s begin!

Background
Despite Carolus Rex being a smash hit in 2012, things would unravel within the Swedish titans. Guitarists Oskar Montelius and Rikard Sundén, drummer Daniel Mullback and keyboardist Daniel Mÿhr would leave Sabaton, with reasons as to why they left were all over the place (Though Joakim said in one interview that they left cause they didn’t want to practice/put in as much effort. Don’t quote me on that). This left Joakim & Pär Sundström as the sole original members, but there weren’t without anyone that would join them. Touring members Chris Rörland and Thobbe Englund on guitar would hook up, along with Robban Bäck on drums. Together, they became Sabaton 2.0. and sat down to work on their next release. After time in the studio, they would release Heroes on the 16th of May, 2014. In a change from their prior release, Heroes would talk about some of the most famous soldiers from World War 2, rather than battles throughout history.

Heroes would go on to be a big hit, and chart in a bunch of places. Of course, it would be no. 1 in Sweden on their Sverigetopplistan (Think our Billboard 200), no. 2 on the Official Finnish Charts, and in the United States it would get to no. 99 on the Billboard 200. Not necessarily the greatest position in our country, but any foothold on out shores is a good thing (Just ask Kreator & their album Hordes Of Chaos).

Basic Description
Warm & Fuzzy. Badass. Inspiring.

That sound like a bizarre way to describe a record, but this is Power Metal after all, so it’s not surprising at the same time. Not only that, but Heroes is perhaps the most personal album Sabaton has crafted. Talking about battles is one thing, but talking about the lives of soldiers & others that fought during World War 2 is another, and luckily for Sabaton they nail it perfectly! Joakim and the gang have always had a deep respect for the history of warfare, and an equal respect for those within warfare, so it greatly shows on Heroes. In a way it’s refreshing to hear about some of the most famous men and women of WW2: whether iconic or obscure, the stories of incredible people can be found on this album.

Best Track
Back when I did my Sabaton overview in 2017 (Which you can read here), I said that it was a 3-way tie between No Bullets Fly, The Ballad Of Bull, and the tragic tale of Witold Pilecki. At that time I only had Heroes for just a couple of months, but upon thinking about it for a while, I found myself listening to Inmate 4859 more than any other song on the record. Far in a way one of the darkest songs the band has ever done (You can see it on this list here), Joakim and the boys go for a slower paced track. From the haunting opening played with a xylophone that almost come across like a sad Christmas song, it leads into the story of the Polish soldier who voluntarily entered Auschwitz in an effort to expose the horrors of the final solution to the allies, only for the efforts to fall of deaf ears, and ultimately get put on trial by those he once tried to save. It’s an incredibly sorrowful song that none the less shows off the life of one of my personal heroes, and I bet it’ll make at least some of you tear up as well.

Inmate 4859

Even with that said, pretty much everything is the best track on Heroes. From the aerial daring of the Night Witches, to the remarkable tale of  Lauri Törni, and finally to the bittersweet story of the German forces of the 12th & 9th Armies, there’s nothing that’s bad. Even on later releases & the earbook edition, which include covers of Metallica & Battle Beast (When BB was relatively unknown) and re-recordings of older songs, Sabaton are just one of the exceedingly few bands that can craft an album with something for everybody.

Worst Track
Heroes is absolutely wonderful. From beginning to end, there’s not a single bad track to listen to. The only issue one would have would be that it’s more out of place with the rest of Sabaton’s discography due to focusing more on the people than the battles (Carolus Rex was more varied in this regard, despite telling the story of Sweden’s most powerful king), but only the most exceptionally picky of listeners will complain about this.

(I realized this in hindsight, but Heroes is a little bit on the short side at almost 37 minutes. If you add all of the bonus tracks, it comes out at a much more substantial 57 minutes & 42 seconds.)

Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below:

Heroes

Overall Impression & Rating
Like I said earlier, Heroes is an outstanding album. Though it was released a few years before I truly appreciated the band, it has since become one of my favorites after listening to it a few times. There’s no denying that the superheroes within comic books and manga can inspire people to do good in the world, but the individuals contained on this record can do the same thing, maybe even more so. This is bar far Sabaton’s most optomistic album, and it’s one I recommend to everyone (Including the non metalheads)!

Heroes gets a 10 out of 10. It deserves that rating......trust me!

Well everybody, that was my surprise post for the Fourth of July this year. As the world continues to go down the crapper, we need all the positivity we can get, and Heroes most certainly gives us a shot of positivity in the ass! I’ll let you all enjoy your festivities, but there’s still plenty more of Hair Metal Hysteria to come around the middle of this month. See you then!


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For more on Witold, please check out the link below:

Witold Pilecki (Wikipedia)

Album Review: Steel Panther's Feel The Steel

Welcome to part 2 of Hair Metal Hysteria fellow Otaku & Metalheads!

In June we took a look at some of the bands who would help create the prototype of one of the defining subgenres in all of metal, and one in which many future groups would take to make their own. For this month, I’m doing something a bit different. Instead of looking into the past, I’ll be looking into the present, and examining a band that somehow & someway feel like something ripped right out of the 80s! A band that has the look, vibe, and talent of some of the best Hair Metal bands, but with a massive dose of raunchy comedy & self awareness to boot. That’s right, I’m of course talking about Steel Panther!

It is baffling that these 4 guys have managed to create a career for themselves by being a tribute/parody group, but Ralph Saenz ("Michael Starr"), Darren Leader ("Stix Zadinia"), Travis Haley ("Lexxi Foxx"), and Russ Parrish ("Satchel") somehow managed to form a surprisingly successful band. Though they only have released 4 albums, said releases are equal parts headbang & side-splitting laughter, and have a surprising amount of charm to them as well. Today we’re taking a look at their first record, Feel The Steel, and see what’s so special about it.

Background
Our story begins in the early 2000s, when a little band called Metal Shop (Soon changes to Metal Skool) was getting some popularity. Composed of vocalist Ralph Saenz, drummer Darren Leader, bassist Travis Haley, and guitarist Russ Parrish, they did weekly shows on Monday at the Viper Room (subsequently at the Key Club as well), playing covers of hair metal hits while sharing their love for the bands that made the songs famous. By 2003 they had gain some success, and released their self produced extended play, Hole Patrol. By April of 2008, after a few years showing up in a variety of commercials & tv shows that further increased their popularity, they decided to change their name once again Steel Panther, and a month later signed a deal with Republic Records (Owned by Universal Records), then on October 6th, Feel The Steel was released to the public.

Reception for Feel The Steel, at least initially, was rather mixed. Jason Lymangrover of Allmusic wrote that "Steel Panther's ability to create songs that sound like they came from 1987 is commendable. That's about as close to clever as it gets, though. As David St. Hubbins said, "It's such a fine line between stupid and clever," and Saenz's locker-room humor wears thin quickly." Sophie Bruce of the BBC, on the other hand, stated "Quite simply, Feel the Steel is an utter feelgood masterpiece." Finally, The Independent wrote that "it's essentially Spinal Tap/Bad News brought forward five years to the coked-up cock-rock era, complete with titles such as "Eatin' Ain't Cheatin'" and dangerous levels of dumb-ass homophobia, sexism, racism and sizeism. The songs are at times terrifyingly authentic. Is it new? Don't be stupid. Is it funny? Hell yeah."

Feel The Steel would go on to peak at no. 98 on the Billboard 200 (Despite it’s initial placing at no. 123), and it would also be placed at no. 1 on Billboard Comedy chart. Not bad for what is essentially a parody/tribute record!

Basic Description
Funny & Raunchy!

In a strange way I didn’t know what to expect from Feel The Steel. I had heard a couple songs from Steel Panther here & there, but never actually sat down and listened to a album of theirs. Upon having the first few moments of the opening track (Death To All But Metal) enter my brain, I knew I found something bizarrely special. Steel Panther are two things: a raunchy comedy band, and a surprisingly heartfelt tribute to 80s Hair Metal. They definitely know how to manipulate nostalgia, but they also know how to make people laugh. Feel The Steel is definitely a great launching path to a weird yet fun career, and it’s a great gateway record for anyone who might want to get into Hair Metal.......provided they aren’t easily offended by everything.

Best Track
Party All Day to be comes across like a lost Bon Jovi song that’s just drenched is silly/crude humor. From the opening instrumentation & keyboarding, it would be easy to mistake this track for Bon Jovi.......then the actual singing kicks in, and the vibe changes completely. You know exactly what kind of ride you’re in for, where the opening lyrics are as follows:

“When I was only three/My mama said to me/Don't go screwin' a skanky ho/Or you're gonna get VD”

Despite how basic yet hilarious the lyrics are, the actual singing & instrumentation is actually pretty awesome! Ralph Saenz has a surprising amount of power with his voice, Darren Leader knows how to work the drums, & Travis Haley and Russ Parrish are impressive on the bass & guitar respectively. You might not see the talent this band has with how over-the-top the lyrics are.....but it’s there!

Party All Day

Worst Track
If you are of the Politically Correct/Bullshit Justice Warrior mentality, then stay the hell away from this band & this album (Although why anyone from that thought pattern would read this blog confuses me)! Steel Panther are offensive, crude, rude, and completely unapologetic. They know this, and just roll with it. This will become evident in a future review......and not necessarily for the better. Suffice it to say, Feel The Steel is filthy......but in all the right ways.

Other
If you’re curious about listening to this album, then click on the link below

Feel The Steel

Overall Impression & Rating
Feel The Steel a load of fun. If you can put any sensibilities behind you in a shelf and turn off your brain, then you’ll find this album to be incredibly worth your time. Sure, it’s humor is incredibly basic (Bordering on politically incorrect if I’m being honest), and would definitely rub some people the wrong way, but Heavy Metal has always done this regardless of the sub-genre. It might be an acquired taste, but Steel Panther’s first release is definitely one of the best.

Feel The Steel gets a 9 out of 10. I’d give it a 10 out of 10, but I gotta be at least a little objective.

So that was Feel The Steel, and over-the-top record from the equally over-the-top Steel Panther. I had a blast listening to this, and I laughed throughout the whole thing. So from this sleazy release, the band would spread their wild love all over everyone, but would they be able to stay strong. Tune in to over a week from now, when I examine their most recent album to date. See you then!