The Life Abridged Review

30 September 2008 @ 04:59 pm

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These aren't in chronological order, but rather are just some shows I've actually gotten around to seeing. Sorry for not reviewing in a bleeping long time, but things have been the crazy (four classes, two of which are difficult problem set classes, plus three timeconsuming extracurriculars, to be precise about the type of crazy).

Anyway - I shall continue reviewing the Sept stuff with future posts, but I make no promises as to when.

Vids: Gantz 11-12, 13
By: hbi2k
Have I Seen the Original: Not this far yet.
<Full disclosure: I voice Kei Kishimoto in this, so you can safely assume I'm "in the tank" for hbi>

Episode 11/12 was quite fun, especially the continued philosophizing and the Eugoogly, or however you spell that particular bastardization of the word "eulogy" (see, I know how to spell the real thing)! The Bebop reference was amazing, and it's fun to just see these characters go nuts. While not a lot else in the episode particularly stood out, it was fun to see the crossovers with Naruto abridged, which is both fun but also slightly unnerving. I mean, the community is certainly coalescing, but I'm worried about accessibility for the outside. But enough philosophizing about this, I wouldn't want Gantz to come for me!
About episode 13 - two words: Uncle Dudeball. Seeing Gantz interact with people in such a manner really showed the imagination of this whole series, and showed just how far you can stretch and create your own thing, despite this genre being mostly about spoofage. Also, Kurono doing that ridiculous dance and his Latin bit were hilarious. This philosophy joke has serious legs, probably more than any other running gag I've seen yet - it's smart, get goofy and slapstick with the random head-exploding, and you can keep changing up the actual joke with various philosophers. I'm just waiting for the Monty Python "Philosopher's Song" to get a ref. (By the way, I'm not involved in the writing at all, so take that as fan speculation and not an actual "this joke will happen" thing, because it's not that at all.)

Vid: SMA 26/27
By: Megami33 et al.
Have I Seen the Original: Hells to the no.

This episode was classic, probably the best since Nephlite died (yea, I'm still going on about that). While some of the show got a little goofy for my tastes, and some of Zoicite's lines were a little weaker and more comedically blunt than usual, on the whole it was choice material. Mars was hilarious, and Lita is always fun as hell. The Luna/Hercules love story was also amazing - goofy enough to work! The PSA at the beginning was, again, goofy but it ultimately really worked!

Vid: YGOGX 13
By: RaymsCreator
Have I Seen the Original: Nein, nyet, et non!

So, this episode was a tad disappointing - only one silly pun from Jaden, and I love his silly puns! In general, I feel like this episode didn't really stray at all from the original plot, so you got this show that felt a lot more like expositional abridging and a lot less like spoofing. The pace was a lot slower than typical Rayms material, and the fight scenes aren't really accessible to people who don't like real Yu Gi Oh. Still, it was a fun episode, (and I totally lost the game, by the way), just a little less than what I've come to expect from this series.

Vid: CGTAS 03
By: GeassTAS
Have I Seen the Original: Not the whole show, but well past this point.

This episode was slick work, an improvement over both episodes 1 and 2. The voicework in this is just great all around (Mippa, Rashinban, and BigT, who already knows I love him, I'm looking at you), and the jokes did start coming a lot stronger and faster in this episode. The "bagels" bit was delightfully gross, and I loved the poking fun at Nunnally. Seriously, she desperately needs to be made fun of. The Pizza Hut censorship is never going to get old, I'm convinced of it. The fanservice gag is okay, but certainly I wouldn't hope to see it get flogged to death in future episodes, though a light amount of that joke may work (just like how fanservice should be used - lightly!)

So! Next up should be Bleach 8 by khenpoe, the Sealed Sword Frenzy vid from semisoma1, TTA Movie 1 by Samurai, and Majora's Mask 2 by adamwestslapdog. I kindly ask you to by no means hold your breath!

~The AbridgedReview

3 Meta-Reviews | Review the Review

04 September 2008 @ 02:09 pm

The Return of the Abridged Review

This summer was an odd time for me, since I couldn't actually watch shows consistently due to a randomly firing youtube connection. No other sites were affected but youtube, and I was told other people in my building experienced similar difficulties.

I'm not there any more, so now the review can return!

Now, for the first three abridged episodes of September!

Video: YGOGX Episode 18 Part 2
By: funkymcfunk
Have I Seen the Original: God no.

There are a few moments in this episode that achieve, or come damn close to, greatness. Invoking Godwin's Law (look it up if you don't know what it is, you'll get a kick out of it) was wonderful, though that bit was a tad long, and the "and Syrus!" bit in the duel got a real laugh from me. I also liked the Chuck Norris bit - that joke may at some point be overplayed, but not yet, at least for me. However, the "what's the lesson" bit at the end was a tad bit weaker of a moment to end on... of course, the post-credits Family Guy bit was good for a moment of fun to end the whole episode-watching experience.
A tad bit overlong in general, but peppered with good fun. And Syrus!

Video: Majora's Mask Episode 1
By: adamwestslapdog
Have I Played the Game: I don't game, so no.

Obviously a return of one of the greats here, but as he disclaims in the video description, not the best work of his. The episode got off to a slow start, and the "ow my groin" bit didn't quite work after all that expository buildup. HUGE points, though, for having that really gruff voice be actually audible - no wonder the vocal cords rebel at it, but that was a great listening experience. Silliness, but also audibility. My favorite out-and-out hilarious moment in the whole thing was the long scream, where Link had to breathe and notice stuff while he was falling - classic! The Tattle/Tale joke was okay, but I had a feeling it could have landed better... and like many episodes, some of the scenes just felt a bit long to me.

Video: DBZ 5
By: TeamFourStar
Have I Seen the Show: No. Just no.

Though a bit belated - congrats on getting the Pope to appear in this, if any group of abridgers could get him, this group could. And what a get it is! I'm a little sad that he doesn't get to deliver many laugh lines, but if he's okay with his job then who am I to critique it.
I enjoy most of the Nappa/Vegeta stuff, Lani and Taka really sell it... some of the material is a little bizarre, but the commitment there helps sell it, though sometimes imperfectly. I also loved the discussion of gravity on the tiny planet - though it's true that if it had the same mass as a typical large planet, yes its gravity would be much higher. But yea.
My favorite part has to be the "it's so cute!....I broke it!" bit with Nappa, it was spot-on.
The Hall of Justice bit was okay, but I'm not sure good enough to warrant the crossover decision.
I'm liking this series, though I have to say (and I'm sure that I'm not the only viewer who thinks this way) that I am kind of upset that it is pre-empting production on Lupin III, maybe indefinitely. I have to say I am enjoying this series a lot, it's certainly not a too many cooks situation, as it might have become, but it's no Lupin III.

~TheAbridgedReview

Review the Review

07 July 2008 @ 09:47 pm

Reviews and Apologies

So, first the reviews:

Video: One Piece 9
By: ToonLord
Have I Seen the Original: No

This episode certainly had snappy dialogue to move it along well, but some of the scenes did seem a tad bizarre - and why were there numbers on the screen again?
I did LOVE the riff on "Who Else But Quagmire" and the plan scene, which was delightfully quirky!

Vid: PMK 7
By: xLight09x
Have I Seen the Original: No

The teh Exorcist and Nathangraves bit at the beginning was a nice kickoff, and the poop on people commercial was glorious! The 10-pt shuriken moment was very cute, but the "don't look gay" joke as well as some of the other material weakened the episode a little. Carmelldansen is to having worn through the last of its welcome by the way.

Vid: CGTAS 2
By: Ezekieru
Have I Seen the Original: Yes

Thank you thank you for axing the narrator - that continues to baffle me as I watch the real show. The battle dialogue in general was hilarious, from the Lancelot Monty Python bits, to the Irony about the Lancelot, to the "IT'S KIEFER!" moment that was simply awesome... Not to mention that the Lloyd voice is nearly identical to the brilliant English dub voice! So snarky! Plus the background music is very classy for an abridged! However, a few scenes in this episode were odd - the first Suzaku/Lloyd scene where Suzaku yells about having been shot was not quite perfect, nor was the corn muffin bit. Same for the Valletta bit, come to think of it. The "ego" bit and the "if you don't want to lose your virginity" bit definitely rescue the episode though, in my opinion.

And now for apologies:
Here is a complete list of the episodes that I shall be letting fall by the wayside, due to the difficulty of getting them to play. Also, I am very busy and am getting behind on what I want to do. For July, I will be simply writing long and involved comments on episodes instead of reviews, because this is getting unwieldy. I may do this for August as well, but then return later. At any rate, I apologize to the creators of these episodes:

PMK 6
Iron Man 1
YGOGX 17
Outlaw Star 3
s-CRY-ed 2
SKTAS 10, 11
Last Exile 3

~The AR

Review the Review

29 June 2008 @ 04:44 pm

A Chronicle of Awesome

Incidentally, everything featured in this post is awesome.

Info:

Vid: Gantz 5-6
By: hbi2k
Have I Seen the Original: Up to the episode in question, yes
*I voice for this series*

The general buzz on this show is that this was the best episode yet, and I have to say I do agree. The news guy, as well as Kurono's delightful awkwardness (coupled with Kishimoto's obliviousness), plus the fact that a lot of the stuff was pretty much lifted from the original episode, all lead to this episode's greatness. The episode was bizarre, funky, and just hilarious, with more antics from the AAAA (damn them!) and sex jokes out the wazoo.

Vid: Superfriends 2
By: theazur3sky
Have I Seen the Original: No

This episode was great! I'm not sure it was as toweringly awesome as the pilot, but there was definitely a sense of professionalism here that speaks to a show that is growing in its comedy. The gag that gives the episode its title is nothing short of brilliant, and the Superman/Batman/Robin banter is priceless! This show is getting off the ground brilliantly.

Vid: The Last Exile 2
By: Unwardil
Have I Seen the Original: No, but I'm considering it.

Unwardil continues to prove that this show is THE new show of the month, without a doubt. The references and snappy dialogue yield a show that needs every line, which makes it wildly different from other shows that are characterized by superfluous dialogue. The back-and-forth makes it feel like a real comedy show. The Macbeth references, the tech problem, the "kill you on the way out" bit, as well as the Serenity references (just started watching Firefly, which made those all the better) and the Richthofen bit were all A-game. This is not to say that there aren't problems - the race scene was overly long, as was the Knocking on Heaven's Door bit, and the We Will Rock You didn't land perfectly to me. That said - this is a show to keep an eye on, definitely the new show of the month, as Superfriends was last month.

~The AR

Review the Review

24 June 2008 @ 10:16 pm

Two-Parter!

Video Info:

Vid: GGA 6
By: IDLITStudios
Have I Seen the Original: No

This fast-paced and kind of confusing episode was very different from the previous, and I thought it was quirky and fun! The opener and the hbi2k stuff was very sturdy if not knee-slappingly hilarious. The Sunrise meeting was quite fun as well, and the family reunion was nothing if not pure bizarre-ity. The Rain needing the cameras to be gone bit was quite funny, as was the "Mom's dead" line...

"The Shining Gundam is... shining!" is sheer amazingness. Adolf Striesand.... is upsetting!

Vid: Teen Titans 5
By: Chaltab
Have I Seen the Original: No

This episode had high and low points, most of the highs and lows fairly close to "okay". Raven is always very funny in my opinion, but the rest of the episode was a little flabby - the lipsyncing was iffy, and a lot of the jokes were tame. The Fixit jokes were fun, but could have been elaborated for maximum humorous effect, (ie maybe over-explaining a very simple phrase, like "discouraging remark intended to demoralize - screw you" or something). The anime jokes were good but not great.

~The AR

Review the Review

22 June 2008 @ 01:42 pm

Three-part post

Sorry, these will be particularly short, I am kind of distracted, since I just moved! Anyway...

Vid Info:

Vid: Bleach Soma OVA Part 2
By: semisoma1
Have I Seen the Original: No

This was the best of Bleach Soma that I've seen - the jokes were one after another, they were effective, and the scenes were well put together. I loved the butterfly bit, it was silly but fun enough to make it really land well. The train bit was also very meta; gotta love the whole desperate need to fight on trains. There were lots of other examples of great moments, just a lot fun action stuff well spoofed.

Vid: Gundam Wing 12
By: TyrestGWA
Have I Seen the Original: No

This episode was okay, but this show has done better. The jokes were good, but could have lived up to earlier stuff - for example: "here he is shooting someone" to show that the villain is mean was funny, as was the "woman's logic" bit, but in general the episode was kind of too-long. The Emotional 180 Lampshading and the "we were supposed to make that accident happen?" moments landed alright, but in general it could have been better, I think.

Vid: Outlaw Star 3
By: TheZechsRebellion
Have I Seen the Original: No

This episode has been taken down, if it is re-upped I will review it then.

~The AR

Review the Review

18 June 2008 @ 07:35 pm

YGOGX

Video Info:

Vid: YGO GX Ep 9
By: RaymsCreator
Have I Seen the Series: No

This episode was very funny, even the non-punchline material was very snappy and enjoyable. The ball game was filled with punchy dialogue, then ended on a high note with the "balls in the face" discussion that I, despite myself, laughed aloud at. The proofs in Bastion's room are to die for, and the "I only did that once-twice" joke was repeated just enough to get the humorous repetition effect and not enough to drive it out of humor altogether. The Fox News joke was great, and not just because of my open-secret political leanings (guess which party I registered with, people! The Cassius614 challenge, right here).

The later "I hate British people"..."I hate the Dutch" bit was amazing, as was the hard science discussion in the Chazz/Bastion duel. Amazing. I love referring to the hard sciences. Very few weak points in this episode (none that are really standing out to me), and I eagerly await the next one!

~The AR

Review the Review

18 June 2008 @ 10:27 am

Another Big Mother Post

Vid Info:

Video: Shaman King Episode 10
By: NyanKyou
Have I Seen the Original: No

This episode was rough for me - a lot of jokes didn't quite land, there were mic issues, and the Pillika stuff was a little too weird and not quite effective at playing up the shock value. The 4kids jokes at the beginning were okay, but not wonderful. A few jokes that were alright were the Chibi joke, the skateboard crash, and the snowman bit at the end. Other than that, this episode needed some work.

Video: Last Exile 1
By: Unwardil
Have I Seen the Original: No

Very fun start! I enjoyed quite a lot of the jokes very much, and actually laughed out loud a few times. The first joke, with the involved mechanical speak, was very funny, as were the closely following Heimlich joke and then the She Who Must Be Obeyed bit. The Fountain Scene had shades of Monty Python, and the later British-related humor was hilarious! This is a great start, and I can't wait to see more! Just a few technical issues, though - having two voices talking at once is okay for a moment, but a few bits in this episode took it a tad too long. Also, the watermark, etc, and the apologizing, which is never great, but honestly didn't take much away from the episode (the apology made it a bigger deal than I feel like it would have been).

Later 1.0-only stuff - The Batshit Thane, the Mission Accomplished bit, the gloriously delivered "metaphorically sodomized" line, and the humor in the letter scene were all brilliant, and speak to not only a good sense of Lampshading a series' oddities, but a very smart sense of humor that can carry a great Abridged Series. Pirates of the Caribbean music, also quite fun.

Vid: Peace Maker Kurogane 5
By: xLight09x
Have I Seen the Original: No

This episode was iffy for me, the show has done better. The flashbacks were fun, but not great. Later jokes that worked better were the atomic notice board and the chase scene, which landed well. The echo bit was also cute, but not amazing. The rundown of the people in the show was fun, but had more potential than it delivered on.

Vid: Cowboy Bebop 3
By: Shuboku88
Have I Seen the Original: Yes

This episode was alright, but way way too long. Many scenes were either good but not really funny, or just tiring, such as the opening scene and the card game, respectively. A few one-liners were snappy, like the "Vicious" line (loved that one, I've always thought that Vicious was an absurd name) and the buddy system line.

Spike switching to porn and Jet bedazzling his arm were also amusing images, though both a bit disturbing!

Vid: Gantz 4
By: hbi2k
Have I Seen the Original: Up to ep 4
*I do a voice in this series*

This episode wasn't as good as episode 3 in my opinion, I thought it didn't quite pick up until the characters relocated back to the Gantz room (I miss Nietzsche-spouting Hulk!). Once back in the room, though, Gantz was hilarious, the scoring bit was great! I love "Blando Calrissian" for Kato and the dog's nickname - hbi2k has come a long way from the Earl of Douchebag in terms of nicknaming characters! Pocket Gantz was also fun as an opener, though I had no idea where the ending bit came from at all.

~The AR

1 Meta-Review | Review the Review

15 June 2008 @ 09:13 pm

Double Post

So, yes. I reviewed SMA twice, while completely neglecting Ruroni Kenshin Ep 3. Here goes nothing! Just for the record, I'm going to make zero promises about future reviewing punctuality, since next week I start my job, which will likely be a 60+ hour a week thing, maybe even as crazy as a 100 hour a week commitment. I enjoy this review gig, but this job is a dream come true for me, so this will obviously take a back seat for the summer. TLA will still happen though!

Vid Info:

Video: Ruroni Kenshin 3
By: CaptnAwesomepatch
Have I Seen the Series: Just Episode 1

This episode was okay, not great. I liked the Seinfeld music in the opening, and the police looking for Kenshin (the AMV arrest was pretty slick, and it held up despite LK's recent jab at AMVs). I also liked the country accent bit, but the rest of the conversation seemed to drag a bit, and suffer from the typical abridged series overlong syndrome. I would have liked to see a real Death Note reference in the "what gives you the right to judge" bit, as a specific comment.

Video: YGO GX 16
By: funkymcfunk
Have I Seen the Series: No

This show had a few fun bits, like the "Huge I tell you!" bit, and Chumley's running gag about being suspected of being the giant (or, alternatively, an elephant). I did really enjoy it, it's a great comeback for June! Dr. Crowler is just hysterical!

~The AR

1 Meta-Review | Review the Review

12 June 2008 @ 01:55 pm

Five-Part Post

Goodness gracious! A five-part post! Don't expect brilliance from me here, I'm trying to remember bits of five different shows here.... yeepers.

Info:

Vid: YGOTAS 29
By: LittleKuriboh
Have I Seen the Original: No

Wow. An interesting episode, not due to any particular comic greatness (it was far outshone by Episode 28, in my opinion), but what LK chose to do. He actually had Vegeta and Masako in his show, which was a little baffling, considering his typical (relative) aloofness. The tongue-in-cheek nature of this nod to the rest of the abridging world, as well as the rest of the internet references, were very interesting and self-deprecating, I thought. I absolutely approved of this change, though in general the episode was not one of the more inspired ones. It was very likely the consequence of the short time interval between 28 and 29. Of course, still a great showing, just not as great as LK has been (a high standard, but hey, he has a high standard). I did love Mokuba's rescue, and the NTAS bit was, as I've hinted, a particular favorite for me in this episode.

Vid: SMA 22
By: Megami33
Have I Seen the Original: No

So - Episode 22. Quite bizarre, not my real favorite, but I did like it. A few too many "from the dub" refs for my taste, though each individual one wasn't bad. I guess I just miss Nephlite (though not as much as Molly, which drives a lot of the funny moments in this episode), he was a great character in this abridged. Lita, though, seems to be taking his place as a favorite character in my heart, because the running gag of her being voiced by a guy without falsetto is working awesomely! That was a hard one to pull off, and will likely remain difficult, but so far it's been amazing!

Great line - "you'll meet in heaven, provided you both weren't horrible sinners", perfect delivery on that one!

Vid: Trigun 6
By: SamuraiKH2
Have I Seen the Original: No

Aw, this episode was kinda iffy for me, especially after that hysterical villain special! The plot confused me, there weren't enough punchlines, and the various guest stars were too stealthy for me to even identify for the most part. Meryl and Milly need to become funnier as characters, since they are principals. Vash is kind of fun, but the dialogue in general needs to be punchier. It can definitely be done, and I'd love to see this show come back huge in Episode 7.

Vid: Bleach Soma 7
By: semisoma1
Have I Seen the Original: No

This plotline was definitely fun, and while nothing in particular stood out, in general the dialogue was snappy, and the voicing remains very fun. Kon is quite funny, that voice just gets me! Like most shows, I just think that what it needs is some slimming down, but on the whole, this series is easy to follow, has good technique, and is steadily improving. Now it just comes down to bringing the funny, which this group has the ability to do. So yeah. Nice.

Vid: Case Closed 6
By: LinkG07
Have I Seen the Original: No

The word "random" is in the video description twice. The episode lives up to the advertised randomness, and it's the best episode that the series has done so far! Though bizarre and full of non sequiturs, the comedy works and it's great for a few actual laugh out loud moments. My one critique was that I couldn't for the life of me follow what was going on, but after a while that started to not matter. It was very very funny! Yes. I am not going to be able to be intelligent, because that's all there is to say! I'd recommend watching this episode even if you haven't seen the previous ones, because honestly the backstory doesn't matter!

~The AR

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