Monthly Archives: September 2011

Episode 40: Dungeons and Dragons

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Most dishonest DVD cover ever.

Today's episode is about a CBS program based on a popular role-playing table-top game. Fortunately, this is not that program.

Why would we start a series of episodes about the Sunbow era with a show that had absolutely nothing to do with Sunbow? Because we like being thorough, and it’s just easier to throw a few unrelated shows that are worth talking about under a larger banner. …And because we’d rather talk about a good show than Charmkins.

Today, we’re joined by Pablo Praino once again to talk about the beloved Dungeons & Dragons cartoon series. Before Transformers. Before GI Joe. Before even Muppet Babies. This show excited kids back in the early 80s with awesome adventures, funny characters, and outstanding animation.

As a special bonus, we have a commentary of the first episode at the end of our show!

Topics discussed:
Panty shots
Eric is our hero.
Dungeon Master is an asshole.
Doors that are big enough for your dragon
Thieves and ninjas are too edgy for children, apparently.
The DVD for Mazes And Monsters is blatantly dishonest.
It’s a kooky movie anyway.
So is Jack Chick.

The Dungeons & Dragons ride!

...because you remember the Dungeons & Dragons roller coaster back in 1983, right? Of course you do. They were all over the place!

Eric the Cavalier

"You guys have got it all wrong! The real culprit is... RED HERRING!"

 

Hilariously out-of-context picture

Believe it or not, this is nothing compared to the real horror of the Dungeons & Dragons movie. There's a Wayans Brother in it!

Thief

Tragically, when the Thief upgrades, he BECOMES the Ninja. The poor guy just can't catch a break!

An Apology: Regarding David Willis

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Alright folks.  I have to admit something; something that nearly all our listeners know.  I get passionate.  I get heated.  And now I must admit I went too far.

Should I have created the episode “David Willis is an idiot”?  No.  Not in the form that I did.  Do I think Willis’s math argument is flawed? No doubt.  Whenever one person hears “2 million POSSIBLE fans pissed off”, that’s a poweful number.  However, when I first saw it, I knew from my history of looking at comic book sales that 2 million viewers never translate to even a meaningful percentage of readers.  No, not even 100,000 readers.

DC’s Batman Adventures comic was always on the verge of cancellation every year it ran.  It was a tie-in to the heavily successful Batman: The Animated Series.  It also ran the same time as the cartoon aired.  The Gargoyles comic, which had a huge fan following had…. okay-ish numbers.  The only cartoon franchise that had a comic book revival years later that had any sort of huge comic success was Transformers.  And even then, it had an on-going comic series, and passed several hands before arriving at Dreamwave.

The big thing Willis ignored was the Teen Titans cartoon had a tie-in comic, Teen Titans Go.  Even with 2 million viewers, they reached only 10 thousand readers.  That’s a less than half a percent pass-through rate.  If the cartoon was considered marketing for the comic, it failed.  But it wasn’t.  The cartoon was marketing for… the cartoon.  DVD sales and toy sales made up it’s bread and butter, and it made it’s money back plus a tidy sum, easily.

My tone in the recording was wrong, and off-putting.  I hope I haven’t alienated any new listeners with it.  I have enjoyed some of David Willis’s work in the past, however at times, his tone is off-putting.  As off-putting as my own tone was, I imagine.  I’m sorry, listeners, and I’m sorry David Willis, for calling you an idiot.  But your math is still wrong.

Episode 39: Localization (Defending Carl Macek)

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Roy!!!!!

Pineapple salad cannot kill Roy!

Today, we were joined by Kittyhawk and voice actor Brett Weaver to talk about the fine art of localization. We also talk about Carl Macek a bit, but not as much as we had planned. Maybe we can return to Carl at a later date.

As for today’s episode, you have 100 minutes to look forward to of us rambling about why the anime snobs of the 90s were all wrong.

Topics discussed:
Streamline Pictures
Tomato soup
Ninja consultants
Averting archaic internet memes based on bad localizations
Random falling H’s
“No” DOES mean “Yes”!
Making fun of Sandy Fox
Singing… IN JAPANESE!!!
The white Richard Roundtree
“FUCK YOU, BEN!”

Ninja Consultant

Fortress Maximus meets with Ninja Consultant Six Shot to balance his budget... IN STEALTH!!!


Nabeshin

"He's a bad mother..." "Shut your mouth!" "I'm just talkin' about Nabeshin!"


Jenny Stigile - Singer of the "Magic Knight Rayearth" Saturn theme

Once again, we agree that Jenny Stigile is the superior MKR singer to Sandy Fox.

Episode 38: Reboot and Heavy Metal

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In today's episode, we blow up a doll house!

In today's exciting episode, we blow up a doll house!

Today’s very special episode of Animation Aficionados is a 2-in-1! We had two episodes with a short running time, so we just smooshed them together.

In the first episode, Fes of Webcast Beacon joins us to talk about Reboot, the first ever totally CGI program produced for television. Part way through the show, JT from Saskatoon joins us to give the kanuck perspective on this Canadian production.

We then shift gears completely and talk about Heavy Metal and Heavy Metal 2000, side-by-side! Hal Hefner joins us for the second segment as we look back on an awesome movie and its mediocre sequel. We talk about awesome music, hot chicks, and exploding doll houses!

Discussed:
Neil’s disdain for “classic CGI”
Tech demos
Beast Wars blows
Uni-boobs
Plastic hair
Illegal (space) aliens
Carpets matching the drapes
The worst CGI character of all-time
We owe Fes a cookie
“When you listen to fools…”

The Cast of Reboot

Reboot's character modeling may have been cutting edge for its time.

 

No, this isn't a scene from a bad PlayStation game. This is actually from Heavy Metal 2000!

...But was it really any better than this?

 

OMFG!!! SPOILERZ!!! I JUST RUINED THE GAME FOR YOU!!!!!1111oneoneone

...or this???