Yet Another Cat's Eye Post

Today, I suffered my first flat tire on my bike. Luckily I was in a situation where Amy could come and pick me up. Luckier still, I wasn't in traffic when it happened.

And still luckier, the first episode of CAT's EYE was waiting for me on the DVR when I came home.

It provided the delights of old-school (circa 1983) Japanese animation, which is far less slick than today's computer-ink-and-paint anime, yet had soul in every line and brushstroke. And I was delighted to see that it was well-subtitled -- a definite improvement over the awful Hong Kong unlicensed dvd set I bought a few years ago. (One quibble: The script repeatedly referred to a full-of-himself museum curator as a "tanuki" -- a mythological Japanese raccoon-like creature -- yet the subtitles translated this as "old fox." That made ideomatic sense, except that a plot point in the episode involves a statuette of a Tanuki that the curator owns.)

Something I found amusing: Imaginasian TV's Website for CAT's EYE promotes the series by noting that its theme song is featured in the DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION videogame.

TMS Update

More on Imaginasian TV's broadcast plans for two of my favorite '80's anime series, CAT'S EYE and ORGUSS:

-- Iatv has started running commercials for each individual series, and also for the TMS programming block.

-- Iatv has also posted broadcast schedules for the TMS block. One series, "Nobody's Boy Remi" (which looks sort of like a male version of HEIDI) started broadcasting today. CAT'S EYE starts at 9:30 a.m. Thursday; and ORGUSS starts on June 11.

-- Right Stuf has preorders available for the first and second volumes of the DVDs of each series -- at the ridiculously low price of $12.99 for the first volume/case and $9.99 for subsequent volumes.

Looks like it'll be a fun summer in front of the tube.

The picture on the case is probably copyright TMS, Tsukasa Hojo, and maybe IATV.

More on Cat's Eye's and Orguss's US TV Debuts

Imaginasian TV will begin broadcasting its block of TMS shows -- including my fave, CAT'S EYE, and '80's gem ORGUSS -- on June 5. Further, anime retailer Right Stuf has landed the exclusive retail rights for the DVDs of the shows. The DVDs will be printed-to-order, and feature extremely low price points -- the starter sets for the first volumes (including a case for the remaining DVDs) will be $12.99, and subsequent volumes will be $9.99 each. (By comparison, most DVDs of anime TV series are $24.99 to 29.99 MSRP, and starter sets run in the $35-50 range.) Right Stuf announces that the first volumes should be ready in early July -- which, I believe, should be just in time for Anime Expo.

I'm there, dude.

Magicplay is Dancing

Excellent news for folks who, like me, are fans of 1980's anime from studio TMS: Imaginasian TV (Channel 157 on our cable network) has announced that beginning in June it will begin broadcasting a daily block of three subtitled TMS shows from the '80's. Best of all, one of those shows will be my all-time favorite TV anime series, CAT'S EYE. It will also be selling the three series as subtitled DVDs.

That CAT'S EYE is being picked up for broadcast and video is something of a minor miracle. Even though the series was broadcast through most of the rest of the world in the '80's, it was never picked up here, so most anime/manga fans have never heard of it. (By contrast, another anime series based on a manga by the same creator, CITY HUNTER, has had numerous episodes issued on DVD in the US, through ADV.) Actually, TMS tried to market the series to American TV in the '80's, even taking out ads in Variety and Hollywood Reporter; but for some reason, the syndicators weren't too eager to broadcast an animated series in which the main characters are, well, thieves.

Further, the commercial prospects for CAT'S EYE seemed dim now, 24 years after its debut, since (a) the series doesn't have giant robots, ninja, samurai, or magical-powered high school girls, and (b) the fashions, hairstyles and music are all extremely early-'80's vintage. Plus, while the series is delightful, funny, and exciting, with engaging characters and great art, one has to deal with the obviously-silly aspects of the plot. In a nutshell, three sisters find out that pieces from their artist/art collector father's collection have been showing up in the hands of various ne'er do wells. So the ridiculously talented ladies set out to steal all the items, in hopes that they will provide a clue as to their missing pop's whereabouts. Do they do so surreptitiously? Do they keep a low profile? Of course not. In the tradition of "gentleman" thieves, they brashly leave metal cards announcing their next heist. Sometimes they shoot the cards into police headquarters. And they call themselves (or at least, middle sister Hitomi) "Cat's Eye." Further, they maintain a coffee shop -- across from police headquarters. And the coffee shop is named -- uhm -- Cat's Eye. And sister Hitomi's boyfriend is -- wait for it -- a police detective. The one whose primary case is, yes, tracking down Cat's Eye.

Sure, it's a high-concept series that Aaron Spelling would have loved, but it's great. Trust me.

Another one of the TMS series being broadcast/sold is ORGUSS. (No, it's not what you think.) This series holds a place in anime history not only as a neat science fiction/time travel/giant robot series, but also as an unofficial sequel of sorts to a much more lionized series from that era, MACROSS. Although MACROSS was produced by another studio, Tatsunoko, ORGUSS ended up with much of the same creative personnel -- most notably, character designer Haruhiko Mikimoto. ORGUSS, unlike CAT'S EYE, was partially released in the U.S. back in the early '90's, under the auspices of U.S. Renditions (whose principals included an old acquaintance of mine, David Riddick); but that was when the U.S. anime market was in its infancy, and only the first 17 episodes were released, with a fairly disappointing dub job.

I can only hope this new incarnation, and its sister series, have a better fate.


The images (if they ever appear above) are copyrighted by TMS and Tsukasa Hojo/Coamix.

Yougle Tube

Google, the company that owns Blogger (this blog's host), has purchased YouTube -- a company until recently housed in an office above a San Mateo Pizzaria -- for an eye-popping $1.65 billion. Apparently one of the keystones for the new relationship has been YouTube's approaches to various copyright holders in an attempt to still the waters of litigation.

YouTube has certainly captured the imagination of Web surfers -- to the degree that even staunch supporters of copyright have posted copyright-infringing snippets on their blogs.

To celebrate the union between Google and You Tube, here is an utterly silly clip of two Asian girls dancing to the tune of my favorite anime TV series, Cat's Eye. Magic-play is dancing.