天下制覇

How the hell is that woman a reporter?

Impressions:

Is it really so much to ask for an action show to have action? If I had wanted to watch a talking show, I’d turn on the View, or maybe Monk. If the View and Monk wouldn’t shut up about how awesome Japan was at any rate. There was maybe 40 seconds of superheroage in this superhero show, part of which was "I AM SCORPIO! BLARGH, I HAVE BEEN SHOT!" out of completely nowhere. Seriously, Stark brings down the Dio suit and is then leaped on by Scorpio who disappears 10 seconds later. Jarring and surprising, sure, I’ll give you that, Madhouse, but cohesive storytelling or something I have any urge to watch again? No bloody way. I’m not saying that you need to start off every show with an explosion and bells and whistles flying everywhere, but something more compelling than the characters taking 19 minutes to go over the press materials of the show is required. Even that could have been made more interesting than just sitting there listening to Stark simply list everything out. Show, don’t tell, dammit. This shouldn’t be so arcane a concept.

Production is okay for the most part, but hardly impressive, especially given the supposed backing it has. It still pales in comparison to High School of the Dead, for example, and if this is all they can muster for the first episode… then… hm. They seem to be banking heavily on the art style above animation though because… well… it’s not very animated. Toni Starku looks like some kind of evil elf rapist too. Not someone who rapes elves, I mean, a… you know what, forget it. The CG is surprisingly good for the most part. They still have this giant blindspot when it comes to making automobiles that don’t look like they were cut and pasted out of a 2002 CG Beginner’s Book, but I’ve been waging a silent noisy war against CG vehicles for full on half a decade and I don’t think that’s going to change now. The music is horrible though; heavily synthed and overpowering every single scene that they pull it up in. YES, I CAN HEAR YOUR ELECTRIC GUITAR. THANK YOU. IT IS VERY ANNOYING. I WOULD LIKE TO HEAR THE DIALOGUE NOW.

Overall then, yuck. This wasn’t Iron Man, this was Tony Stark. If Madhouse improves the balance to somethin better than a 95:5 ratio of time spent fellating Japan to being a superhero, it’d get better. However, a 15 second fight and then an alien on Toni Stahku’s back do not a superhero show make.

Preview:

Quick! To the press pool!