Magiranger EP01 MagiMother

Watch it NOW!

The Hello Kitty Xbox...

Hello Kitty Xbox 

Trying that enclosure thing out....

I've posted this before, but this time I'm going put it in an enclosure and see what happens. Lemme know if you find this in among all the podcasts...

The Mocha Beans in the moog

Unrelated: Listen to the Beach Boys sing in German...

The Mocha Beans in the moog Originally uploaded by tohoscope.

Watch house+ing+around at archive.org

house+ing+around at archive.org 
Watch the second PV from tohoscope:Destroy all MIDI!

I'm on archive dot org!

house+hold at archive.org 
Too freaking cool for words! My PV house+hold is on archive.org, I'm geeking out here!

Hibiki EP02 Bug

Watch it NOW!

Cricket Bats

SAUN OF THE DEAD had me laughing and giggling. It's dark humor, subversive, and very very British. It charmed the hell outta me.

LAGAAN looks rather boring from the DVD boxart. I thought it was gonna be some sort of historical drama with the Indians up against evil Britishers and in a way it is. Lagaan is a sports genre movie, that just happens to be set in an Indian historical drama. And it's probablly the only other sports musical outside of DAMN YANKEES. It's an all-or-nothing cricket match, and even though I don't know crap about how to play the game you pick it up as you watch. Like your average Bollywood movie this one runs long and there's romance and singing and dancing and still it's a good movie. Especially that last reel...

I borrowed THE INCREDIBLES from Josh and Michael over the weekend and I was happy to see PIXAR return to it's introspective movies. The movie gives you alot to think about and will stick with you long after you watch it. Look for the Synchro-Vox MISTER INCREDIBLE short on the extras disk, it's way better then the JACK JACK ATTACK short that's featured...

The toho+scope Monster MIDI project

Yeah, I like screwing around with loops and MIDI and I've posted them online in the past and gotten only slight interest in them. Hey, I admit it, I'm not skilled at this stuff at all. My brother's the one who when to Berkley Music Collage in Boston and writes songs. Anyway, here's a fresh batch of MIDI for a fictitious album called DESTROY ALL MIDI! The twist is I've made some Promo Videos to showcase the music and found a way to share 'em on Archive.org...

resgryl Originally uploaded by tohoscope.

Hibiki EP02 Run Run Run!

Watch it NOW!

Hibiki EP02 Henshin!!

Watch it NOW!

King of ZINE

Heh, now that's cool. Makes me wanna break out the gluestick and x-acto knife...

kingofzine Originally uploaded by tohoscope.

Joi Lansing (1928-1972)

God bless her, I love Joi Lansing. I'm gonna hafta add karaoke style subtitles to WEB OF LOVE for the next OtakuHELL:

Love's the big game hunter who held the poison dart
I was game and you took aim and struck me to the heart
Trapped in a web of love
I'm trapped in a web of love
Love's a big witch doctor who stirred a brew for me
I took sips from your sweet lips and now I can't get free
Like a bird in a cage flapping it's wings in rage
I can't fly away
You've clipped my wings I've got to stay
Love's a great big monster with oh so many charms
It wrapped itself around my heart with sixty million arms
I'm trapped, baby!

...or something like that.

"X" has been trademarked

X: THE UNHEARD MUSIC is a great DVD if you're a fan of X, the L.A. punk band. It's alittle shy on any extras, but what the hey, this DVD is long overdue.

HERO is a nice high end Kung Fu movie. A well executed and stylish picture, it's hard to find fault in it.

Masked Rider Hibiki Ending

Watch it NOW!

Hibiki Face open!! (EP01)

Watch it Now!

Masked Rider Hibiki Opening

Watch it NOW!

Petula Clark auf Deutsche

This goes out to Bruce, Petula Clark singing DOWNTOWN in German!

CAPE! May 7th, 2005 

Kamen Pixel Rider Hibiki

Beck OP

Watch it NOW!

Girl in Trouble

Watch it NOW!
Because it's super-cute, and it's also the Dekaranger end credits...

Kamen Pixel Rider 555

No Love for Astro Boy

Lemme start this with a confession. I'm a bit of a fanatic for Tezuka's Astro Boy. And I went out of my way to find the new series released in Japan to coincide with 'Atom's birth.' "The birthday celebration will start in Takadanobaba where, according to the original story by the late Osamu Tezuka, Astro Boy was created on April 7, 2003, in a fictitious laboratory."

You can tell Sony was hoping that Astro whould catch on in America like it had decades ago. They were dubbing the new show into english as they made the episodes for broadcast in Japan. The show started out on Kid's WB: "The series is scheduled to run on the 2003-2004 series, starting in September." And then moved on to Cartoon Network: "The new Astro Boy series will debut on Cartoon Network's Toonami block on Monday, March 8, at 5:00 pm, replacing SD Gundam. In April, Astro Boy will return to Kids WB after being on hiatus since February." But kids just didn't get it, and Astro went into permenent hiatus from the airwaves.

With 29 outta 50 episodes unaired Sony did the only thing it could do. Move Astro into the DVD market. The series was dumped into a box set with very little extras or care. I just got mine, and it breaks my heart to see it like this. But it's also kinda nice to get the whole show in one go...

Sony's Astro Boy site

Pixielation

When PIXIES showed up last Friday the DVD had a crack in it, a little more then a half inch, but enough that none of my DVD players could do anything more then get to the menu if at all. The replacement DVD arrived yesterday, so lemme tell you about The PIXIES. Yeah, I used to listen to the Pixies, along with all the other indy groups that played on REV105 and 120minutes. I liked 'em. I bought the audio cassettes, but I really never liked them to the point that I ever thought of them as a favorite. And after watching the DVD I still like them, I even sing Gigantic or Debaser to myself every once in awhile. But I really don't know if I'd put them into heavy rotation or a permanent spot on the iPod. If you like The Pixies you'll like the DVD...

Long Live the King of Cartoons

Although I've showcased the movie trailer for BLACULA, I'm ashamed to say I've not watched it. So, I rented it, along with it's sequel SCREAM BLACULA, SCREAM. It'll be a nice evening with the actor best know as The King of Cartoons on PeeWee's Playhouse. Which reminds me, I need to add PeeWee's Playhouse to my NetFlix Queue...

I'm also adding the original HOUSE OF WAX, even if I have a copy on VHS. What I've seen of the version that Joel Silver is putting together has jack to do with the Vincent Price 3D film. I recommend skipping the one with Paris Hilton in it...

Save the Earth

It's easier then ever these days to get your favorite kaiju movies on DVD in the original language. But now that you can get GODZILLA VS. HEDORAH it's damn near impossible to find GODZILLA VS. THE SMOG MONSTER with the original AIP English dub and SAVE THE EARTH theme song.


This DVD does not include:

"Save the Earth"
(from "Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster")

Animals, God's animals
Don't go away, don't go
Flowers, my flowers
Don't go away, don't go
The sea has cobalt, it's full of mercury
Too many fumes in our oxygen
All the smog now is choking you and me
Good Lord, where is it gonna end?
Got to get it back, someday
Got to get it back, and soon now
For tomorrow maybe you and me
We're movin', we're movin', movin' to the Moon now
It's up to us to make a choice
We know what it's worth to save the Earth
Come raise your voice
Save the Earth! (save the Earth)
Save the Earth! (save the Earth)
See the evil problem around us
Save the Earth! (save the Earth)
Save the Earth! (save the Earth)
And the Solution: stop pollution
Save the Earth! (save the Earth)
Save the Earth! (save the Earth)
Save the Earth!
And the Solution: to stop pollution
Save the Earth!
Save the Earth!
Save the Earth!

Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger

DEKAHEARTS!! 
The current incarnation of POWER RANGERS is called S.P.D. Luckily I've already watched the Japanese original, Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger. Watch the Opening!

Audio Zombie

The Happy Listener's Guide To Mind Control
 
I was thrilled to find The Happy Listener's Guide To Mind Control on WFMU's Beware to the Blog. Head over and download a few MP3s, it's good stuff!

Taxation

Panel 06 remix 
Didn't like the tone on the first try, so I re-did it. Now I'm not certain I like the background tones. Next up: Digital Tone Scraping!

It's a Friday of good and badness. On the downside I got my taxes done and off to Austin, but on the upside I got a big box o'landjaegers from Schmidt's Meat Market in Nicollet. Thanks to my friend Rick Lucas back in New Ulm, MN. You roxxor, Rick!

Also, Seward Street, James R. Hull's animation blog, has set up a mirror for the BRING ME THE HEAD OF CHARLIE BROWN clip. Which is really neat because I've been visiting that blog for awhile now. I guess that means I'm part of the animation blogsphere...

Bootleg: Final Wars

I thought the Japanese DVD release wasn't until next month. Doesn't matter, I was hit with about a dozen e-mail alerts about GODZILLA: FINAL WARS bootleg DVDs today. Do yourself a favor and don't buy 'em. Don't support these bastards, support Toho and buy the Region 2 DVDs.

priced_2_sell_4u-img254x260-godzillafwdvd Originally uploaded by tohoscope.

I think it's an elf?

Panel 06 
Another panel, but I don't know who or what it is. It could be an elf. I don't have a thing for elves, but who knows what I was thinking when I drew this? Or maybe it's a cute alien girl. The tones are done with Deleter's Comic Works and the inks with a brush pen, and that about covers the technical details....

I borrowed HELL HOUSE from Josh and I've gotta say I enjoyed it. What's better then a hellfire sermon that depicts the torments and horrors of hell? Why, a hellfire sermon with the depictions of the torments and horrors of hell! It's Grand Guignol filtered through Jack Chick with a showbiz angle. Highly recommended.

Panel on Panel

Gat 
Here's panel no. 3 in my series of comix panels for a possible webcomic thing.

Watched and returned:

It amazes me that these films are much more enjoyable then what comes out nowadays. Sure the acting has a few hiccups and the craftwork is a bit rough about the edges, but I enjoyed them, alot. They have appeal...

Hudi.is

FORKLIFT DRIVER KLAUS in Windows Media 9 Streaming.
(Thanks to Bob Dejesus)

Crime on Crime

I've been getting alot of Japanese Gangster movies though NetFlix lately, and this one has become my favorite so far. BLACKMAIL IS MY LIFE (1968) is fun, stylish, hip and enjoyable. Young small time losers trying to play the yakuza and corrupt officials, it's a typical plot, so director Kinji Fukasaku just plays with the telling, and it looks like he had alot of fun, it's infectious...

As opposed to The Pornographers - Criterion Collection (1966) which, while it had some interesting ideas and characters, wasn't very fun. Not that I'd dissuade anybody from watching it, I'm not going to recommend it...

Dave and Shain's new website

Mister Kitty 

Texas Playboys

As I was caught in traffic because It's opening day for the Texas Rangers, I started singing Bob Will's "Take it on down" So, when I finally got back I looked up the lyrics and found that the song is called "Hurry on down" as sung by Bette Midler...

294 Originally uploaded by tohoscope.

Hurry on down to my house, honey,
Ain’t nobody home but me.
Hurry on down to my house, baby.
Oh, I’m blue as I can be.
I love you. you love me.
A-hurry through the alley
So the neighbors don’t see.
Hurry on down to my house, honey,
Ain’t nobody home but me. oooh.

Hurry on down to my house, baby,
Ain’t nobody home but me.
Hurry on down to my house, baby.
I’m blue as I can be.

Oh, blue when the clock a-went
Tick-tock-tick.
Ooh, c’mon, honey, quick, quick, quick.
Hurry on down to my house, baby,
Ain’t nobody home but me.

Say, hurry, hurry, a-nobody’s home.
Hurry on down, baby,
I’m blue as I can be.
Oh, please come down
Just as soon as you can.
If you don’t come down,
I got to call sam!
You know the man is crazy about me.
Ain’t nobody home but me . . . ow!

Well, what’s goin’ on with the three of yous? c’mon, c’mon, make it snappy. c’mon, c’mon, work out, work out! go, babe, get down, get down! oh, lord! nobody’s home!

Say, hurry on down to my house, baby,
Ain’t nobody home.
Haul it down, drag it down,
Any way to get it down.
I’m blue as I can be.
Ashes-to-ashes. dust-to-dust.
C’mon, honey, you must, you must!
Hurry on down to my house, baby,
Ain’t nobody home but me.

Hurry, hurry. a-nobody’s home.
Haul it down and drag it down.
You know I can’t stand to be alone.
Operator, get me hillside, 409.
A-don’t stop ringin’
’til you get that baby’s line!
He’s gonna haul it down!
Ain’t nobody home but, you believe it,
There’s nobody home but me! wo!

Another panel borrowed from Mister Kitty

Poor Sabrina the Teenage Witch... 

Panel borrowed from Mister Kitty

Poor Lois Lane... 

Mister Crankypants

Ah...screw it...

185 Originally uploaded by tohoscope.

Aftermathmatics

Start Logic Billing replied that I won't be billed for the extra bandwidth leeching, BUT they may suspend the website. I guess that'd be good news. At least around here it could be. Whatever. If they pull the plug on the site I'll just find another host, no biggie...

atomesque Originally uploaded by tohoscope.

Waiting for the other shoe to drop

I've sent two e-mails to Startlogic, the folks who host the AnimeHELL.org website, trying to find out what the damage will be for the Charlie Brownwidth event. Nothing has come back yet...

55 Originally uploaded by tohoscope.

This morning's web stats show that I lost another 17gigs of bandwidth before I closed the barndoor. So, I'm looking at a total of around 34gigs of bandwidth overage for this month. The most bandwidth we'd done before this was 9gigs. And to think I thought we'd never use up our 60gigs of bandwidth!

I guess it had to happen sooner or later...

Bring me the Bandwidth of Charlie Brown

Cartoon Brew: April 2005 Archives
Amid posts another link to AnimeHELL.org this time to explain the dead link and maybe help us out with some donations for our missing bandwidth....

I'm with the Bandwidth...

Yesterday I was thrilled that Amid Amidi linked to AnimeHELL.org from Cartoon Brew. This morning I find all this month's bandwidth is gone and gone over... Yeah, that was like having cold water thrown in your face.

292 Originally uploaded by tohoscope.

Love from Cartoon Brew!

Cartoon Brew links to AnimeHELL.org... 

GODZILLA: TOKYO S.O.S.

Full disclosure: I haven't seen this DVD yet, but I did watch TOKYO S.O.S. in the theater at G-Fest and I was very happy. It's a nice Godzilla flick, some great kaiju wrasslin' and the plot ain't half bad, either. No, it's not without it's flaws, but I still give it a high rating...

It's Official: AnimeHELL at AKon16! 

More fun with MYSTERIANS

O'HELL Bumper

Here's a look at the animated OtakuHELL eyecatch that I used at KamiKazeCon. I'm working on a longer loop for the next O'HELL show...

ALL MONSTERS ATTACK!

Worth it for all the Godzilla trailers alone! Get your copy NOW!

PULP CINEMA

A nice compilation of film noir trailers, there are a few missing that I'd like to see, but still a damn good DVD...

A few words about Joseph Lai...

Super Ninja Review - Jabootu's Bad Movie Dimension
Another popular proposal was to search through the works of one Joseph Lai. In the ‘80s, Hong Kong producer/director Lai came up with a scheme to feed the then seemingly insatiable appetite for ninja-oriented fare from American video store patrons. (The ‘80s was such a great decade for cheesy movies.) Ninja movies became a popular offshoot of the decade’s generally popular martial arts genre following the landmark success of the Shogun TV mini-series. Aside from the films provided by Lai and Kusogi, Cannon kicked in not only with such pictures as Ninja III, but the weirdly long-running American Ninja series.

Lai’s ingenious solution to this situation firmly earned him a place amongst such other all-time schlockmavens as Sam Arkoff, Roger Corman and William Castle. His idea was to obtain the rights to as many cheap Chinese movies as he could. These were, as appropriate to his plans, typically crime pictures and thrillers. (But not always. See the hilarious Ninja Commandments, built around an extraordinarily weird and downbeat family drama.) Lai would then film new ninja-themed material, featuring American ‘actors’ like the ubiquitous Richard Harrison. This would then be spliced into the existing film as a barely – if at all – connected subplot. Thus, bam, in short order any film could be turned into a ‘ninja’ movie.

Lai’s other great talent was to give the resultant ‘films’ irresistible titles as they flooded the American video market. These included Blazing Ninja, To Catch a Ninja, Full Metal Ninja, Cobra vs. Ninja (this the year after Sylvester Stallone’s Cobra came out), Bionic Ninja (!), Zombie vs. Ninja, and so on. He must have also attracted good sales with films sporting the word ‘Thunderbolt,’ since at least five of his video releases featured that term. Lai’s ninja movies are also identifiable in other ways. For instance, his ninjas tend to be not only oddly Caucasian but to sport headbands that actually have the word "NINJA" printed on them. This is enough to get one laughing right there.

Hideaki Sekiguchi

AKA Billy, Bass Wolf, R.I.P.