So, here we are again. Let’s see how, this time, we’ll see what else was in the bag of cartoons I loaned a friend. I added some stuff that wasn’t animated or not quite cartoons, but they all fit a theme.  So here’s the final countdown with a few surprises for good measure:

Roujin-Z:  Here’s the thing. Both kids don’t like anime, but I decided to pop this into the lot because it’s a family film of sorts and I know both parents would be into it because  they’d “get” it and enjoy it even if their two Teen Titans didn’t. Lo and behold, not only did the kids take to it, they were both deciding that the genre was much more that what friends at school were hammering them in the heads over endlessly.

I should have gone with Ghost In The Shell as well, but this Otomo flick was more of an acceptable choice and I didn’t want to overwhelm them, although, yes, I had to field a few questions regarding the crazy ending. That said, I wonder how Akira or something as nuts as a Fist of the North Star would have gone over. That said, I think a Miyazaki film might be a better thing (I’m looking at YOU, Lupin!)…

Mad Monster Party: Dad was giddy about this one, as he hadn’t seen it in decades.The Wife remembered it vaguely, but was all in. The kids were shocked (shocked!) that a stop motion movie could be so campy and funny despite its age. I was shocked (shocked!) that their parents hadn’t introduced them to those other Rankin-Bass TV specials when they were little, but was told that they tried, but their kids weren’t into them as wee ones, and considered themselves “too old” for them when they got to be around 8 or 9 years old.

It figures, but they both agreed to go watch those specials when they popped up on TV or look them up online when the no Internet contest was over. Score a few points for getting thm interested in the classics, right?

Meet The Feebles: Setup for a minute, please: I actually loaned this South Korean import DVD of the 1989 Peter Jackson film this to Daddy-O a while back with a few other films, but he put in at the end of his ‘to watch’ list and it sat on a shelf until his Rather Inquisitive Daughter Who Borrowed The Car And Saw The DVD On The Shelf When She Went To Get The Keys ™ asked what the film was about.

I understand there was some hesitation from Now Busted Dad until Detective Daughter reminded Deceptive Dad about when she and Magical Mom went to see Avenue Q a few years back. Added to the stack of movies, everyone in the family loved this, although it was noted by Nauseated Mom that there was “too much vomit, though”. Still, if that’s the worst thing that could be said about this one, well… that’s a win.

G-Saviour: This one was a surprise for me when I first saw it back around 2001. Some Gundam fans REALLY hate it, but I found it somewhat cool for its multi-ethnic casting choices and the fact that it was a Japanese/Canadian TV movie released to as a multi-media project that even included a spin-off Japanese PlayStation 2 game (Yep, I have it here as well – it’s pretty darn hard at times, but it can de beaten).

I guessed the kids knew nothing of the franchise as they’re not into anime, so this film was new to them and they did like it for what it was, warts and all. The parents? Well, they also liked it, but felt it was a bit too low budget and noted  in some says, the film looked like a bunch of fans got together and made something that was pretty cool, despite the shortcomings.

Forever Evil: Okay, I’d written a review of this a while ago TWICE, but it happened to be one of those occasions where WordPress was having some technical issues and ate my post one time (I had two posts open, hit Publish on one and the other vaished). The second time, the auto save wasn’t saving and didn’t save my work when I rewrote the post from scratch, I accidentally Backspace/deleted it and the site didn’t save my older drafts. CURSED, I tell you.

Anyway, I consider this film sort of a cartoon, as its clearly EC Comics inspired horror makes for a fun watch if you don’t take it seriously, and hell, I finally got to let a few people who like weirdness like this see it and like much of what’s here. Dad thought it was cool and cheesy, Teen Wolf was ticked because “there were, like NO boobs!”, he noted in a quick phone call, as his Mom laughed in the background, and his sister chimed in with a with a “go to your room!” (yes, she was kidding). I told the kids the film’s writer drops by the blog sometimes, and nope, they didn’t believe me. Meddling kids, Hey, Doctor! Some people liked your film! Oh,  was also on the disc, and I kike that everyone though it was the scariest thing they saw in all the stuff I sent over.

Hmmm. That was actually fun for me, listening to folks poke at my recommends. I had them take notes as they watched. so it was less of a chore to compile impressions, a good thing to keep in mind if I decide to do this again and need victims volunteers. Eh, as usual – we shall see.

-GW