The AV-98 Ingram Unit 1 "Alphonse" is back!
Patlabor’s second OAV series started in November 1990 and ran for 16 half hour episodes. Really, the second OAV series is a continuation of the TV series. It makes Patlabor 63 episodes instead of 47. I really enjoyed the second OAV series and highly recommend it but only to those who have already seen the TV series. Read more…
Tags: Patlabor
After reading Foundation’s Edge I thought I should follow up with Foundation and Earth. When it was first published the cover claimed it was the the 5th Foundation novel. This is the 2nd Foundation novel written after Asimov’s 30 year gap and his decision to combine his Robot and Foundation settings. Read more…
Tags: Foundation Series, Isaac Asimov
I’ve just finished the 47 episodes of the Patlabor TV Series. Patlabor ran from October 1989 to September 1990. Patlabor is a truly great TV show and I highly recommend it to all mecha and science-fiction fans. I wrote about Patlabor’s basic premise not long ago so there’s no need to go over it again. After watching the entire run of Special Vehicles Division 2’s adventures protecting Tokyo my enthusiasm for the show hasn’t diminished at all. Read more…
Tags: Patlabor
I just finished David Kalat’s excellent book, A Critical History and Filmography of Toho’s Godzilla Series. This is the definitive book on the Godzilla movies that every Godzilla fan should read. I highly recommend it to everyone who has seen more than one Godzilla movie and liked them. Read more…
Tags: Godzilla
Any list of science-fiction classics is a very subjective thing. I don’t doubt that every fan of science-fiction novels who sees this list may disagree with my selection. Classic can mean one of three things: and old book, a famous book or an influential book. I’m going with influential. These are the novels that other science-fiction authors talk about and often imitate.
Some of these books I liked, some I didn’t and some I haven’t yet read. Some entries have FURTHER READING listed. The titles under FURTHER READING are not classics but are books by the same author in the same setting (often with the same characters). These are listed in case you decide you really like the story and want to pursue it further. Read more…
After seeing Transformers 2 this week it’s clear that computer graphics special effects have come a long way. The giant robots we see battling on the big screen look very convincing. At this point only the top-flight Hollywood studios can produce effects of this caliber but I think it will only be a few years before many more studios will reach that point. The speculation regarding tomorrow’s movies runs rampant within me. Read more…
Tags: Transformers
SPOILERS ALERT
No science-fiction fan should restrict his hobby to the screen. The best stories in science-fiction remain in novels. Whenever I can find the time I read another science-fiction novel in search of a great story. This time it was Isaac Asimov’s Foundation’s Edge. Written in 1982, this novel continues the epic Foundation trilogy that Asimov wrote in the 50’s. Thirty years later the fans’ desire for a continuation of the epic was successful in coaxing Asimov’s publisher to demand a continuation. Read more…
Tags: Foundation Series, Isaac Asimov
Last night I made a rare appearance at the movie theater and watched Transformers 2 – Revenge of the Fallen. Overall I’d say I liked the movie more than I disliked it. I can’t give it an enthusiastic “thumbs up” but don’t let me dissuade you from seeing the film. It’s roughly two and a half hours long. That running time is great for viewing at home but at the theater, with the plot as weak as it is, you start wondering when the credits will roll. Read more…
Tags: Transformers
We should all do our part to contribute to the next generation. Donating to libraries, volunteering at schools, raising children with proper manners and values – and perhaps most important of all, introducing anime. Last week I began watching Gatchaman with my two sons, ages six and four. It’s been exciting for all of us. Read more…
Tags: Gatchaman
Not long ago I was able to watch the first Patlabor OAV series subtitled. It first came out in April 1988. I’m now starting to watch through the Patlabor TV series. I’ve been looking at Patlabor art books ever since I was a teenager so getting a chance to watch the anime was a big deal for me. Read more…
Tags: Patlabor
