Catblue: Dynamite

Catblue: Dynamite on Crunchyroll

Nick — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 16:56:11 -0400

Looks like Crunchyroll is on a roll here. This time, they will be streaming Catblue: Dynamite, though I'm not sure if the movie will be available for download (whether for pay or not) from the site. I have talked about this fun CG anime before...

Hopefully, this me reporting on series showing on Crunchyroll reported by Anime News Network won't be what this blog pares down to. I'll try to get a proper post up at some point...

Catblue Dynamite promo image from ComicCon

Nick — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 08:13:01 -0400

Catblue Dynamite promo image from ComicCon

Nick — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:59:17 -0400

Catblue in San Diego

Nick — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 07:51:11 -0400

I know this is pretty much last-minute info, but I was informed by a reader named Chris a few days ago about Catblue: Dynamite being screened at Comic-Con this year. I couldn't go because of work conflicts, but maybe some others would like to see this rather strange (and enjoyable, IMO) CG animated movie for themselves.

There's also performances by Mimi, apparently in costume as Blue.

Here's the full press release that I've received, with information and times about the screening and performances:
Mimi: Meow!

MEDIA ALERT
CATBLUE DYNAMITE
at 2008 Comic-Con International San Diego

>> Catblue Dynamite screening!
>> Mimi to perform live!

WHAT:

Nick's Anime Update - July 1, 2007

Nick — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 00:08:53 -0400

Time for an update of what I've been watching.

Finished Watching

Catblue: Dynamite

I had finished a review of this 40-minute movie this morning. In truth, I've probably rewatched this around 5 times in the past week or so, most of that showing the movie off to different people. I don't have much to add here on top of my review of it.

Keisatsu Sensha Tai TANK S.W.A.T. 01

After watching Catblue: Dynamite, I was curious about Romanov Higa's previous work. TANK S.W.A.T. 01 is a second attempt of adapting Masamune Shirow's Dominion Tank Police manga as an anime. Romanov Higa was billed as the director, and the 29-minute OVA does feature a CG style. Unfortunately, I just find that it doesn't work as well as it did in Catblue. Most people don't seem to realize that the characters in TANK S.W.A.T. 01 are also CG with a cell-shaded style. It looks like they were modeled with a much more traditional "anime-style" look, and I just don't like how it looks in CG. Plus the "police-thriller" story presented just isn't too interesting.

Pale Cocoon

Coming in fairly new to the animation scenes is Yasuhiro Yoshiura, and his film, Pale Cocoon, can actually be compared to Makoto Shinkai's Voices of a Distant Star in many ways. Like Shinkai, Yoshiura did all of the writing, storyboarding, directing, CG, and animating for Pale Cocoon by himself. Both OVAs run under 30 minutes long. Both feature a beautifully composed song that provide an emotional climax towards to end of the anime.

But it's the differences that will set Yoshiura's work apart, and Pale Cocoon includes some very important features. Pale Cocoon seems to strictly uses CG for backgrounds, while Shinkai focused on hand-drawn stills for his backgrounds in Voices of a Distant Star. Though probably as a result of this, Yoshiura's hand-drawn characters simply look better than Shinkai's hand-drawn characters. Also, while Voices of a Distant Star feels like it's treating its characters and subject matter with gentleness, Pale Cocoon's atmosphere is much more colder and distant. And most importantly, while it doesn't quite have Voices of a Distant Star's emotional punch, Pale Cocoon is much more complicated; it's a thinker.

And when you figure it out, it can hit you like a ton of bricks. At least, it did for me; Pale Cocoon has me sitting back and pondering on what it's saying every time I watch it. I'll be keeping an eye on Yasuhiro Yoshiura's future work, as if Pale Cocoon is any indication, he might become the "next Shinkai".

Scrapped Princess - Episodes 1-24

I had an urge to rewatch this series after I finished reading the third volume of the translated novel so I ended up marathoning all 24 episodes in a day (skipping the rather bad opening and ending pieces in every episode). Pacifica is still a spoiled brat, though it seems I've thought her more of a brat the first time I watched the series.

The thing to know, though, is that the novel is definitely better than the anime. Shouldn't be a surprise there. The entire third novel (which I had thought to be pretty good, much better than the first novel) was compressed into maybe 2 episodes in the anime. And how the novel volumes are laid out really explains why the anime felt like almost-separate 2-3 episode arcs.

Currently Watching

NANA - Episodes 1-44

NANA got my nearly undivided attention a couple weeks ago after I finished Rocket Girl. I had initially planned to ration the number of episodes I was watching so that I would get to the end of the 47-episode season when the fansubbers release the last episode, but that idea was doomed as I found myself watching the series in 10-episode marathons, sometimes forgoing sleep to do so. Not a very good thing for my working life, but NANA happened to be a romantic shoujo that hit nearly all the right buttons for me. Plus I am really digging Nana Osaki, the "punk rocker" girl in the series. I don't immediately rail against Nana "Hachi" Komatsu like I know many people might, but I simply found her roommate to be much more interesting.

I don't fully fathom why these shows draw me in; they're often filled with the characters doing stupid stuff that will hurt their partners. NANA is almost an extreme of that at times, as I witnessed the characters doing stupid stuff that I can foresee causing severe problems with their relationships way down the line. I also fully acknowledge the double-standard based on gender I held to the characters. Fairly early on in the series, I wanted to hit Shouji for what he was doing, yet when Nana Komatsu does the exact same thing late in the series, I just felt sad. Perhaps I was just too tired to work myself into anger against her at that point. I am glad there are characters like Kyosuke and Junko at times, as they are perhaps the only normal couple in the series. And Kyosuke's openness with Junko is something very refreshing to see.

Well, I'm starting to ramble about the characters, so I'll cut it off here. This series has some seriously complicated relationships, as the anime doesn't just center on the two Nanas, but puts focus on all of the people they deal with on a normal basis. The music in the series is nice, and I liked the presentation of how the series is like some reminiscence by one of the two Nanas. The ending theme starting sometime before the credits start, often with one of the Nanas saying a short monologue before it cuts to the credits is quite well done.

Only awaiting 3 more episodes, and according to the series, this is only Season one! No word of a second season, though.

Denno Coil - Episode 4-5

This show continues to please me. I can't put my finger on what about it I enjoy, but this series is the one where I anticipate each new episode.

Claymore - Episode 11-13

I know that Astro was put off at the pure brutality in Episode 8 (and not just for one character there, too). I wonder if he'll be able to handle Episode 13. Wow. Not quite as harsh as Episode 8, but you wouldn't expect that to happen to such an important character to the series. I'm halfway through the series, and though I can see a few ways it can end, I have no clue as to which path it will take. I'm going to be continuing on without hesitation.

Lucky Star - Episode 10-12

This one has been mildly amusing to me, though I have to admit that I laughed hard a few times in Episode 12, when the girls go to a comic convention.

Darker Than BLACK - Episode 8 (Stalled)

No new episodes have been released since the last update by the fansubbers I've been using. I'm contemplating switching groups.

Currently Rewatching

The Twelve Kingdoms - Episodes 15-26

I've been watching this one with other people that wanted to see this series again. Got through the Taiki arc, which I find myself liking more of each time I rewatch this series. Also got four episodes into the excellent third arc of the series.

On Hiatus/Future Plans

Saiunkoku Monogatari - Episode 29 (?)

Legend of Galactic Heroes - Episode 50 (?)

Yomigaeru Sora - RESCUE WINGS -

Not Much Substance, But What Style! A Review of Catblue: Dynamite

Nick — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 11:41:55 -0400

I had never heard of Romanov Higa or of his ROMANoV Films before. His previous claims to fame, Urda and TANK S.W.A.T. 01, neither of which I never heard of, were largely panned by reviewers. Ridian, in a review on AnimeNfo, said that Urda, among other problems, suffered from "the rather cheap and cheesy writing". Romanov Higa's latest film released on December 2006 on the web, Catblue: Dynamite, still holds this quality. But this time, that cheesy writing actually added to the full effect of this 40 minute film featuring a blue-haired catgirl who can wield three guns at once; Catblue: Dynamite was heavily influenced by 70s exploitation films. Though I haven't seen many of those myself, I did show Catblue to a few friends who are big fans of those types of films, and they were amazed. Everything in this cell-shaded CG animation, the 70s muscle cars, the amateur English voice acting, the very well used disco music, came together into what became a highly entertaining, if a bit shallow, action-thriller movie.

Animation

The biggest thing I have to say here is that this is the first time I've watched a complete cell-shaded CG movie where the style actually works quite well. The characters look very good (Especially Blue) and the backgrounds are well modeled, though someone with a very picky eye could lodge a minor complaint that sometimes the characters stand out from the environments they're in instead of looking like they're a part of it, but you can also say that it looked like the characters were standing in front of a blue screen, which would work perfectly in line with the anime's homage to old b-movies.

Though the character's faces may not have looked as detailed as a hand-drawn animations, Romanov Higa really takes advantage of CG to do things that would be prohibitively expensive to do with hand-drawn cells. Not only are the action sequences (of which there are many in the 40 minute run) very well executed, the dialog scenes actually shined in many ways. Props have to given to the character animation work, as the characters move and feel like real humans. I understand that motion capturing was used; I don't know how extensively it was used in this movie, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if they also used motion capture technology during dialog, as the characters emote, gesture, and move around like a real actor. In addition, the camera has little shakes and movements, as if a cameraman is shooting the scenes with a hand-held camera. This is really apparent when I watched the movie on a big screen. These are rather little things, but they add up big in addition to the well chosen camera angles when it came to me enjoying the animation as a whole.

Then there are the cars. It does seem apparent that somebody at ROMANoV Films is a fan of 70s muscle cars. I have a passing interest in automobiles in general (I tend to appreciate engine technology much more than car body styles), but I have to admit that the cars in the film are outright eye-catching. I will have to get one of my car-fanatic friends over to watch the film and identify all of the cars for me.

Sound

While reading my intro above, you might have noticed where I wrote "the amateur English voice acting". Yes, the anime was actually dubbed in English and has Japanese subtitles. What I've been reading was that Romanov Higa got a few of his friends who spoke English natively to voice act the parts. And to take it a step further, Higa doesn't have a full grasp of the English language himself; he wrote the original script in Japanese, translated it to English, then told the voice actors to ad-lib the dialog. This is something almost unheard of in the animation world, but the result was something much, much better than I would have expected. This ends up with some real charm and chemistry between the main characters. They may be amateur, but the banter between the two "mules" is just golden to me.

Be warned, as a part of being influenced by exploitation films, the dialog is filled with much cussing. Keep the young ones away if you don't want to expose them to it.

Moving on from the voice acting, we get to the music. And to enjoy this 40 minute film, you will have to be able to endure much disco music. Fortunately for me, I actually like disco at times, and I really dig the offerings in this movie. There's also a theme that I can best describe as "70s detective generic quiet" theme and a "wailing guitar" theme for the few slow scenes in between the action. All of the music was appropriately used and really worked well and making the animation feel like a 70s film.

The sound effects were top-notched. From the firing of automatic weapons fitted with sound suppressors to the engine roars and tire screeching of the car chase, I have absolutely no complaints with the sounds used.

Story

This is probably the weakest part of the movie, given its approximately 40-minute running time and that more attention was brought to the action and the characters, but at least Romanov doesn't try to cover too much. There's a subtitle shown after the opening credits that announce that this is "Episode 05", and looking around on the official site for the movie shows that 8 episodes were planned. Hence, it looks like Catblue: Dynamite is only one piece of a larger story. The movie does do a good enough job of introducing us to the characters and giving a bit of backstory to keep me interested in it.

What we are presented in this one is that Blue, apparently the feline-femme-fatale, was meeting up with Bill and Roberto, a couple of mules (drug couriers) to get some information about something called "Red bird". The setting is somewhere in the U.S. (I've never was able to establish where, but I think in New York City somewhere), the time period was in the 1970s. Blue, as a cat, has the ability to see and talk to ghosts, and one name John Doe accompanies and assists her. They get attacked by a group of masked men led by a woman named M who is after a Frank Sinatra tape that are in Bill's and Roberto's possession. Action ensues.

There's a bit more to the story than that, actually, like how Blue came to her current form, but I have to keep some things left without spoilers, as little it would really add to the movie as a whole (Though I will add that it's always "old asian guys" that give mystical advice to characters in those old 70s exploitation films).

Characters

While the story here is sparse it's the main characters and their interactions with each other that Catblue really pulls off well. The banter between the antagonists and protagonists isn't as good, but is quite cheesy. The dialog works well with the style of film this animation is influenced by.

First up is the main feature: Blue. Cute and deadly. She's another form of the martial-arts-knowing akimbo-guns-wielding female characters often found in b-movie action thrillers, but in cat-girl form. Her part in the group is largely like a mercenary, as she takes jobs to protect (and possibly kill) people for money and information on a person referred to as the "Red Bird", but she still manages to befriend the other protagonists through her work. Blue is a character who is difficult not to like, though she won't garner much sympathy from the viewer (except possibly for one part when she's reminicing a bit). I especially like her because she's not the normal catgirl found in anime. She's not overly cute, nor is she hyper-sexified, but just a little of both with a sassy attitude that really isn't all that rare in American action films but that is fun to watch. Her cat side gives her some heightened physical and martial arts abilities, and the fact that she can fire a gun or wield a sword with her tail along with both hands makes her even more deadly against multiple targets. In fact, I'd say she's part New World monkey with what she can do with that prehensile tail. I have to give props to the animation job with her; the modeling, cell shading technique, and the little animations (like her wiggling her ears or how her tail moves) were quite excellently done.

John Doe is a ghost who accompanies Blue. You see, part of Blue being a "cat" is that she can see and communicate with ghosts. He often performs recon for Blue (as normal humans cannot sense his presence) and will catch recently killed spirits for Blue to interrogate. Seriously, I like John's character a lot for his wooden acting. Not just the voice acting, but the actual character model animation gives a feel of an amateur actor trying to act. I don't know why I get a kick out of it; maybe I appreciate the extra effort the animators took to give that feel. Still, it's pretty apparent John isn't just a tool for Blue, but he also gives words of encouragement and allows Blue to speak openly with him. There's also some less apparent clues to extrapolate their past, too.

Then we get to the characters that I feel are the stars of the movie, Roberto and Bill. They are both "mules", or couriers for a cocaine smuggling operation, but as a pair, they are two of the more entertaining characters I've seen in animation in some time. They show an implicit trust with each other, even if they often get into the same arguments. Neither are superhuman in any form, just regular joes in a dangerous career trying to make a living. Also, the voice acting and character animation for both are perfectly suited for their roles.

Roberto is the older, calmer, and the defacto leader of the two. He and Blue know each other from a job Blue did for Roberto's younger sister, Alicia. The official site's cast list (or at least the Google translation of it) seems to suggest that he's a Vietnam War veteren. He also narrates the scene leading up the the opening credit. Roberto is reasonably resourceful when he's placed in a stressed situation.

Bill is the younger of the two, and probably in his twenties. He's also engaged to Alicia, much to Roberto's chagrin. Liable to panic, some of the other character's time is spent calming Bill down. Much of Roberto's annoyance with Bill stems from Bill constantly calling him "brother".

M is best described as a minor boss in a longer story. Her role is to attempt to get something from the protagonists (in this case, a Frank Sinatra tape) and get into some kind of one-on-one fight with the main protagonist (in this case, Blue). Her voice actress used a very flat style of acting her role, and I found it works very well here.

Outside of the masked goons that work under M, we have Charlie who plays a small role at the beginning of the movie, and the unfortunate cook who was at the restaurant that gets attacked at the beginning.

Value

Many of the elements present in Catblue: Dynamite would have killed a greater anime, like the bad voice acting or the paper-thin plot. But it all comes together in what was a very entertaining ride for me that I've rewatched many, many times since I first stumbled onto it.

Yeah, the movie is shallow. It's an action-thriller featuring a catgirl mercenary set in the big city American 70s. There's no deeper themes or messages present. The anime still does leave quite a few clues so that you can make your own interpolations and connections about the characters themselves. There's hints of a much larger conspiracy looming in the background that the film never explicitly explained.

Catblue: Dynamite got my attention with the eye-candy and gimmicks, but I am honestly wanting to see more of this. The 40-minute animation announces itself as "Epsidoe 05", and poking around at the offical site for the movie shows a plan for 8 episodes. I am not fully sure what kind of audience this was made for (not sure about how well the Japanese audience would take it, but I did read that an American audience was planned during production), but it's found at least one member in that audience here in the U.S. who wants to see it. More, actually, as the local friends I screened this to absolutely loved it...

Oh, as a side note, keep an eye out for the Engrish that pop up in a newspaper clipping at the end of the movie... Funny stuff, there.

Catblue: Dynamite - Blue and John

Nick — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 03:47:31 -0400

Blue does look cute...

Catblue: Dynamite - Bill looking out of his car

Nick — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 03:46:22 -0400

Catblue: Dynamite - Boom!

Nick — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 03:45:09 -0400

We can't have an action film without explosions, no?

Catblue: Dynamite - Lady M, fight stance

Nick — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 03:44:07 -0400

I don't smoke, but I could go for a cigarette now...