Nostalgia Junkie

Hello. Is anyone still out there?

It’s spring now– a good time to clear the virtual dust and cobwebs off this here blog. I jumped off the blogging wagon while I was (unsuccessfully) attempting to participate in NaNoWriMo in November, and then forgot to jump back on. Oops.

Also, since February, Murphy’s Law has been in full effect in my life. That is to say, just about every damn thing that can go wrong has been going wrong. Obviously that shifts my focus from “I wanna blog about fun, retro crap!” to “Oh god, I need to fix all this shit.” Stupid life drama: bad for my blog; great for my Livejournal. If you catch my drift.

Anyway, I’m here to talk about some assorted stuff I’ve been enjoying in the months since I last updated. Some of it is retro, and some of it ain’t, but I enjoy it all the same, and figured I’d share.

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn

Gundam Unicorn is the newest installment in the Universal Century Gundam timeline, taking place in UC 0096. It’s six episodes long, at about an hour each, and the episodes are currently being released about every six months. There are three episodes out now, and I’ve seen the first two. I fucking love it to bits and pieces. It turned me into a raving fangirl, something that hasn’t happened to me in a long time. So, obviously it struck a lot of chords with me.

First of all, check out that trailer up there. The animation is absolutely gorgeous. It’s animated in HD, and they’ve put their budget to excellent use. Gundam hasn’t seen animation this awesome since 0083: Stardust Memory, which came out in the early 1990s. I also love the 80s-esque character designs– it makes it fit in perfectly with the rest of Universal Century Gundam. I like the color palette they use, too.

The combat scenes are glorious– in a lot of modern Gundam shows, they just kind of float around rapidly firing ridiculously huge beams at each other (AKA “beamspam”). Not so with this series. Fights are choreographed expertly and with plenty of energy and fluidity, and the mobile suit designs are quite nice as well. Unicorn itself is a sight to behold, as is the Sinanju, the red MS.

However, my favorite thing about this series so far is the writing. It’s damned brilliant. The dialogue isn’t just an expository tool, it gives insight into the characters and is actually much more intelligent and nuanced than one might expect from an anime about giant fighting robots in outer space. There’s also some really cool symbolism going on in the background, which I’m really impressed by and can’t wait to see how it gets fleshed out. The characters are well-rounded and compelling, and most importantly, likable. I love all the subtle body language and facial expressions they use in this series. Also, the main character, 16-year-old Banagher Links, instantly became one of my favorite characters in anything, ever. I could gush about him, but I’m trying to keep this short.

Last but not least, the music in this series is just fantastic. Here’s the theme they use for the Unicorn– the “main theme”, if you will. If this doesn’t stir your emotions a little, then it’s entirely possible that you have no heart. And when you hear it in context, it’s even better, trust me.

Les Miserables

I’d been trying to get through the Les Mis novel for quite some time, and had stalled out until I saw part of the musical on PBS– the 25th Anniversary Concert, to be specific. Oddly, I tuned in to the broadcast at almost the exact point I’d left off in the book. So I watched and listened until the end, impressed with what I heard. Then I plowed through the rest of the novel and enjoyed it greatly. It’s now one of my favorite books.

After that, I went and found the Complete Symphonic Recording of the musical and listened to the entire thing– all three hours of it. And then I listened to it again. And again. And again. I couldn’t stop! I listened to nothing but Les Mis for two solid weeks. So, yeah, it’s now one of my favorite musicals. I’ve had some great conversations with my husband about the differences between the book and the musical, which is always fun.

I’ve listened to the other cast recordings, but the Complete Symphonic Recording is my favorite version, hands down. The original London/Broadway Jean Valjean is perhaps a bit better than the one on the CSR, but the performer here does fine. On this recording, the real standout is a man named Philip Quast as Inspector Javert. He is amazing. He practically is Javert. Not only is he one hell of a singer, he can also act convincingly while singing. Javert isn’t exactly a nice guy, but Philip Quast made me like him anyway. That takes talent.

I also really like the performers that played the Thenardiers here. I don’t like the characters themselves and never will– they’re despicable –but the actors do a really fine job and this version of Master of the House is easily the best, if you ask me. It’s over the top in all the right ways. The performers that play Marius Pontmercy and Enjolras are also a pleasure to listen to. The songs themselves are catchy as all hell and I love the use of recurring themes.

The 10th Anniversary Concert is also worth a look for a slightly different take on things– most people call it the “Dream Cast”. Philip Quast appears as Javert once again. Here’s him singing Javert’s showstopping solo number, Stars, at that concert. Check out those impressive sideburns:

The Addams Family

I never saw this show as a kid, but my husband had fond memories of it so he suggested I watch it sometime. I’m always up for an old sitcom, so when the entire series popped up on Netflix instant watch, we started watching it together. I’ve liked it from the very first episode. It’s quirky, intelligent, and, most importantly, funny. I like the characters and the actors that play them. It’s subversive, but not in an insulting or vulgar way. This is something I want to show to my future kids. It’s a shame it didn’t run longer, but better to end on a high note than to drag on too long, if you ask me.

My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic

So there’s a new kids’ cable channel, The HUB, and one of their original series is a reboot of My Little Pony. I was never a MLP fan as a child, but when some of my male friends started talking about how good this show was, I knew I had to check it out for myself. And I’m glad I did– it’s quite an entertaining little show. It’s obviously for the younger set, but it’s intelligent and doesn’t talk down to its audience. The characters are likable and– gasp –actually have distinct personalities. The animation is not in the style I typically prefer, but it’s colorful and fluid and generally looks nice. The cast is overwhelmingly female, but it’s kind of refreshing considering most cartoon characters are male anyway. This ain’t your mama’s “toy show”! I recommend checking it out if you’re a fan of animation or kids’ shows. I’ll even link you to the first episode, which someone was kind enough to upload to Youtube:

Well, that’s all I’ve got for now. Hopefully it won’t be long before I have something else to talk about.