Otaku 5-0 Season 5: Episode 2

Episode 74 out of 100

Aloha everybody!

On this week's audio podcast episode of Otaku 5-0, we bring you another interesting blend of entertainment-based topic discussion, including our popular Moviematic 5-0 & the second installment of Defender!

Programming Note: This and all future downloadable episodes of our audio podcast will now be in mpeg-4 (.mp4) format. Please make sure you have the correct media player installed onto your computer (this player is my personal preference.)

So, please continue to enjoy the fruit of our labors!

Mahalo,
~Totoro (Otaku 5-0 Executive Producer)



Click here to download episode.

Show Notes Otaku 5-0: Episode 5.2

Recording Date: August 17, 2010
Running Time: 87 minutes

Moderators
Jupiter (Podcast Executive Producer)
Mr. A (Assistant Podcast Executive Producer)

Panelists
Totoro (Otaku 5-0 Executive Producer)
Neko-X (Senior Producer)
Jam (Contributor-at-Large)
Hahen (Contributor-at-Large)
Strawberry (Guest Contributor)

Format
1. Opening Bit: Jupiter's Jukebox

2. Lead-in (Mr. A)

3. Moviematic 5-0 VI: The Pitch - "Tonight"

4. Pick/Fail of the Week

5. Great Debate: Robotech vs. Star Blazers

6. How We Would Have Done It: The Last Airbender

7. Defender: Japanese Kid Shows vs. American Kid Shows

8. Moviematic 5-0 VI: The Return

9. Lead-out (Mr. A)

Musical Notes
-Post-Disclaimer Theme: "Gato's Theme" from Chrono Trigger
-Opening Theme: "Kefka's Theme" from Final Fantasy VI
-Interstitial Clips: "Eyecatch" from Full Metal Panic!, "Subtitle" from Full Metal Panic!, "I'll Do It Right!" from Naruto, "Frog's Theme" from Chrono Trigger, "Subtitle" from Revolutionary Girl Utena, "Pre-Title" from His & Her Circumstances
-Ending Theme: "Breach of Contract" from Ah! My Goddess

Coming Soon...
Our next audio podcast episode!

Feedback is always accepted here at Otaku 5-0. Please send us an e-mail to us at otaku50podcast@gmail.com OR post on our message boards OR post a comment on this blog!

For those of you who are curious about what songs are in Jupiter's Jukebox, here they are, in video form:

Song #1: "Let's Get This Party Started" by Pink


Song #2: "Knocking On Heaven's Door" by Guns N' Roses


Song #3: Theme Song from "Pokemon The (1st) Movie"

Mr. A's review of...Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

The Story
Scott Pilgrim (24 years old) is an out of work slacker who is getting over his last break-up by going out with Knives Chau (17 years old), a Chinese Catholic high school student. Things seem to be going good until Scott meets a mysterious girl at a party (Ramona Flowers, 24 years old). After horribly dumping Knives (17 years old) Scott starts a new lovey-dovey relationship with Ramona. Things are going great, if not slightly awkward, for our two heroes. They do everything together, eat, sleep, and fight Ramona's seven evil exes. That's right, Ramona has seven evil, semi-super-powered exes all looking to shape the future of her love-life and kick Scott's ass in the process. With death lurking behind every coffee shop and in every night club, will Scott's love for Ramona and resolve to do whatever it takes to stay with her keep him alive? And how can he defeat the ominous Gideon Gordon Graves AND keep his band's contract at the same time?

The Review
F*ck yeah.
What, not enough of a review? Okay, let's try this then:
By the time the opening credits start, you know what kind of film this is going to be. Right off the bat the soundtrack (mostly written by mega-musician Beck) kicks you in the ass and gets you pumped for the action that is to come. The action beats are close enough together so you don't get dragged down by the story beats, but even then there's so much humor scattered about that even when the plot has to progress you're laughing too hard to be bored. Though I had my doubts about Michael Cera being cast as Scott Pilgrim, he manages to pull some bad-assery out and proves that he's got the ability to play "action hero" if he needs to. All other casting is cinematic genius (Alison Pill, I love you), the graphics are insane and makes you feel like you're watching a comic book, wardrobe is incredible, and Edgar Wright is the freakin' MAN!

The Verdict
Even if you haven't read the books, if you've ever played a videogame, been in a band, or fallen in love, you'll want to see this movie. I dare say that Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is a modern day Revenge of the Nerds, even if you're not one of us, you'll understand the emotions behind this film. I recommend this movie to everyone, young and old. Go see it. Right now.
11/10

That's about it for this review. Stay tuned for future reviews and other gangster dealings.

Jaa matta,
Mr. A ("The Talent", 24 years old)

Otaku 5-0 Season 5: Episode 1

Episode 73 out of 100

Aloha everybody!

We're back from our 3-month hiatus, and looking forward to another season of entertainment-themed discussion!

This episode is noteworthy in a number of ways. Not only does this start the first FULL season of episodes written by Jupiter & Mr. A, but we also joined on the panel Strawberry (Guest Contributor) whom you might remember from this episode.

So enjoy the fruit of our labors!

Mahalo,
~Totoro (Otaku 5-0 Executive Producer)



Click here to download episode.

Show Notes
Otaku 5-0: Episode 5.1

Recording Date: August 9, 2010
Running Time: 56 minutes

Moderators
Jupiter (Podcast Executive Producer)
Mr. A (Assistant Podcast Executive Producer)

Panelists
Totoro (Otaku 5-0 Executive Producer)
Maka (Assistant Video Executive Producer)
Jam (Contributor-at-Large)
Zyconis (Contributor-at-Large)
Strawberry (Guest Contributor)

Format
1. Opening Bit: Bad Joke of the Day (Mr. A)

2. Lead-in (Jupiter)

3. Taking Stock (a.k.a. what we did while we were away)

4. Casting Couch: Futurama

5. Best Star Wars Moment Ever!

6. Fill In The Blank: "Baby" <-- TOPIC DEBUT!

7. Lead-out (Jupiter)

Musical Notes
-Opening Theme: "Kefka's Theme" from Final Fantasy VI
-Interstitial Clips: "I'll Do It Right!" from Naruto, "Frog's Theme" from Chrono Trigger, "Pre-Title" from His & Her Circumstances
-Ending Theme: "Breach of Contract" from Ah! My Goddess

Coming Soon...
Our next podcast episode!

Feedback is always accepted here at Otaku 5-0. Please send an e-mail to otaku50podcast@gmail.com OR put a post on our message boards OR post a comment on this blog!.

Mr. A's review of...The Last Airbender (Avatar: The Last Airbender)

The Story
While on an unsuccessful hunting trip, Katara and her brother Sokka stumble upon a massive sphere made of ice. Held within it's confines sits Aang, the last of the Air Nomads and the next incarnation of a powerful being known as the Avatar. As the Avatar, Aang is destined to bring peace to the world and is the only human being who can master all forms of Element Bending.
However, discovering Aang's release, Zuko, the disgraced prince of the Fire Nation, sets out to capture the newly released Avatar in an attempt to regain his former honor.

The Review
Where do I start? This movie is like watching Tony Hawk blasting down a half-pipe and then slipping on the one banana peel at the bottom. Started incredibly (it opened JUST LIKE the TV show!!!), but then the pacing took a big ole' Louisville Slugger and disfigured the rest of it. It seemed like M. Night tried to take the original 20 episodes and tried to cram as much information as he could into the 2 sum-odd hours he had for the movie which ended up forcing absolutely useless sequences and basically killed whatever character development and humor that they should have included. The dialogue was as bland as paper mixed with water and whoever wasn't an actor before this movie couldn't convey emotion to save their lives.

The Verdict
If you don't know the original story and you've never watched the show, you won't understand a freakin' thing that's going on. This film feels more like a refresher course in the original series more than anything else. If you really (and I mean REALLY) liked the original cartoon then it might be worth taking a look at, but if you're just looking for something fun to watch then you should steer clear of this and go see The A-Team.
6/10



Jaa, mata,
Mr. A (Executive Fire Bender)

Mr. A's review of ...The A-Team

The Story
After John "Hannibal" Smith rescues his right hand man Templeton "Faceman" Peck with the help of ex Rangers Bosco B.A. Baracus and H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock the foursome embark on a long and successful military career in Iraq. That is until a corrupt team of special ops frame them for stealing a collection of U.S. Treasury plates and the murder of a high ranking general. Knowing that the only way to prove their innocence is to get back the plates, Hannibal and his team make their escapes from their respective prisons and set out to do just that.

The Review
I have almost nothing bad to say about this film, though there are a few things I will touch on as a sort of warning to you before you go and see it. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson makes a great replacement for the iconic Mr. T, however he does mumble his lines a few times throughout the movie. Also, there are also moments that are confusing due to an incredible amount of either background noise or characters trying to talk over each other. The action is incredible, but when the story kicks in the pacing slows down considerably. But honestly, other than that I thought this movie was the greatest thing since raisin bread...and I really like raisin bread.

The Verdict
With over-the-top action and enough humor to carry you through the duller story parts, The A-Team gaurantees some of the most bad-ass 2 hours of your life. I'm actually thinking about going again!
7/10


There you go, folks! Stay tuned for my review of The Last Airbender!!!


Jaa mata,
Mr. A

Mr. A's review of...Iron Man 2

The Story
Everything is looking good for our friend Tony Stark: The Stark Expo is in full swing, stocks are way up, his upcoming birthday is going to be the biggest party ever in the history of parties, the ladies love him, and the men love to hate him. Yep, it's looking pretty good. Except for three things...
#1: The government is breathing down his neck about turning over his pride and joy that is the Iron Man "weapon" and will stop at nothing to get it.
#2: Some psychopath named Vanko wants to rip him a new one.
#3: Tony Stark is dying.
Whith the grim reaper looming over his head, Tony becomes more and more reckless with his own life, bringing danger to himself and the people around him. Unable to control the mad actions of a dying man, Tony's best friend Rhodey decides that the only way to put an end to this is to knock him down a peg...which means that Rhodey's gonna need some extra firepower...

The Review
Right off the bat, everyone who doubted Don Cheadle replacing Terrance Howard can go jump off a cliff. The man is brilliant as Rhodey and adds his own twist when it comes to playing him. Mickey Rourke pulling a great performance out as the lead villain and surprising everyone by saying half his lines in Russian. Robert Downey Jr. once again kicking ass, but adding a slight craziness to the character of Tony Stark.
The only downsides that I could find with this film is that when the story needed to progress the pacing slowed down quite a bit and character development as a little light. The action did make up for most of it, but I would have liked to have seen the argument between Tony, Rhodey, and Pepper that was in the novel version of the film, but was cut from the script.
However I must say, from the unveiling of the "War Machine" armor in the third act all the way to the ending (as well as the secret ending) made the entire film well worth the $8.75. Not to mention the free comic you got when buying your ticket was a nice little cherry on the sundae.

The Verdict
If you're a comic book fan, go see this film. If you like action movies, go see this film. If you're girlfriend is getting her nails done and you're just sitting around waiting for her, go see this film! HOWEVER: If you're a parent with REALLY young kids (like 3-5 years) you should go see it before you take them. There isn't really any parts that would scar them for life or anything, but there is a lot of fighting, explosions, and a fair amount of swearing. Perfectly fine for us adults and teens with anger issues, not so good for babies.
8/10
(Until they release a director's cut)


Jaa mata,
Mr. A (Co-executive producer)

Otaku 5-0: Season 4 Finale

Aloha everybody!

It is my sad duty to report to our growing audience that another leg of our journey has come to an. end. I am proud & humbled to present to you the finale episode to our 4th Season!

Also on this episode, we include the first installment of a new topic that you will see in Season 5 - Defender! a debate topic in which YOU, our growing audience, will decide who wins!

The process is simple. Four of the current episode's panelists (i.e. TWO teams of TWO people) are selected to debate two entertainment-related topics. Each side, whether they agree or not, was given seven minutes to discuss why their topic is better than the other. After completion of the debate, a special poll will be posted on this website, which will be active for seven days, giving our growing audience the chance to vote which side presented the better argument. The winning team will be announced on the next episode.

Sounds like fun, doesn't it? Consider this our attempt at audience participation!

Now, let us move on...

As we prepare to enter our hiatus, I cannot help but point out that when we return for our Season 5 premiere (August 5th), it will be on Otaku 5-0's 2nd anniversary. To that end, I would like to present a special written installment of a podcast topic...

Totoro's Top 4... Otaku 5-0: Year 2 Moments

#4: Our new staffers: Jam, Zyconis & Hahen
We at Otaku 5-0 have no problem with having our fans sit in while we're recording a podcast episode. So, when fellow fans Moses & Joshua were invited to sit in on an episode, it was such a blast having them that we kept invited them back, eventually making them staffers. Later, Zell's wife started to do the same, and she also become a part of our podcast family.

#3: Otaku 5-0 Presenting An Award At Kawaii-kon 2010's VAST
When our special guest DJ Buma (a.k.a Lord of the Butishake) put forward the notion of having outside entities sponsor awards for this year's VAST (Video Art Showcase Theater) competition at Kawaii-kon, we jumped at the opportunity. From selecting the winning video to presenting it at the kon's VAST ceremony.

#2: The Giant Totoro Costume
It all started with a friendly wager - If Jupiter were to create a Totoro costume, then I would gladly wear it at the next Kawaii-kon. So I must admit that it was surreal that I ended up walking around Kawaii-kon 2010 dressed as a giant Totoro. And to top it off, the went on to win an award (Best Overall Craftsmanship). Congratulations to Jupiter for all her hard work!

#1: The Laura Bailey Interview
Even though this was recorded more than a full year ago, this is MY favorite Otaku 5-0 moment thus far. What started as a suggestion from Jupiter turned into a multistage process, from the initial conversations via e-mail, to the impromptu discussions while we were at the kon (at which point we were doubtful we'd be able to pull it off) & to the actual interview itself.

In closing, the staff of Otaku 5-0 would like to thank our respective families for the continued support of our endeavors, our special guests DJ Buma, Kekumanshoyu, Choco & Smylex for their professionalism and good cheer, but most importantly:

YOU - OUR GROWING AUDIENCE...
For taking time out of your daily lives to hang out with us for a little while.

Mahalo,
~Totoro (Otaku 5-0 Executive Producer)

WARNING! Portions of this podcast contain mature language and adult content. Listener discretion is advised.



Click here to download episode.

Show Notes
Otaku 5-0: Episode 4.15

Recording Date: May 2nd, 2010
Running Time: 90 minutes

Moderators
Jupiter (Podcast Executive Producer)
Mr. A (Assistant Podcast Executive Producer)

Panelists
Totoro (Otaku 5-0 Executive Producer)
Maka (Assistant Video Executive Producer)
Zell (Contributor-at-Large)
Jam (Contributor-at-Large)
Hahen (Contributor-at-Large)

Format
1. Opening Bit: Pearl Of Wisdom (Jupiter)

2. Lead-in (Mr. A)

3. Pick/Fail of the Week

4. Taking Stock

5. DVD Grab Bag VI, Part 2 - An Apology

6. Defender: Sci-Fi vs. Fantasy

7. Good Sequel, Bad Sequel

7. Lead-out (Mr. A)

Musical Notes
-Post-Disclaimer Theme: "Gato's Theme" from Chrono Trigger
-Opening Theme: "Kefka's Theme" from Final Fantasy VI
-Interstitial Clips: "I'll Do It Right!" from Naruto, "Pre-Title" from His & Her Circumstances, "Frog's Theme" from Chrono Trigger, "Subtitle" from Revolutionary Girl Utena, "Subtitle" from Full Metal Panic!
-Ending Theme: "Breach of Contract" from Ah! My Goddess

Feedback is always accepted here at Otaku 5-0. Please send an e-mail to otaku50podcast@gmail.com OR put a post on our message boards!