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bruckwine
Reviews
Redline (2009)
It's Cowboy Bebop meets The Cannonball Run!
This is definitely a top class anime flick! I won't lie and says it has a killer storyline - it's no Ghibli movie - but it is totally cool and it does have memorable characters even if they aren't fully fleshed out. It's like watching a 2 hr long episode of Cowboy bebop (style & adrenalin) meets Outlaw Star (comedy ). It is suave anime and it does it very well. Well worth 102 mins of your time - it's like a guilty pleasure. And the soundtrack is one of the best around, period!
It's about "Sweet" JP, a small-time ex-con racer who competes mostly to help his mechanic buddy Frisbee pull off fixes for the mob he owes money to, but he finally gets a shot at the biggest race of them all - the illegal Redline. Also competing is his secret crush "Crab" Sonshee and she wants nothing more than to climb that winners' podium for her long-lost dad. It's a race where anything goes (and usually does) - add to that the authorities want to stop the race at all costs and what you get is the anime version of The Cannonball Run, with a lot of explosions, nitro, burning rubber and a cast of characters good and bad you'll not forget anytime soon!
Mustard Pancakes (2005)
A great kids show in the same vein as Under the Umbrella Tree!
This is a great kids show very reminiscent of Under the Umbrella Tree! The lessons in the show are of universally good morals, without being overly preachy as some may put it. The puppet characters of Tiny Tina, Mo, Mr. D and Oogleberry are unique, well-voiced & well-acted. Courtney Campbell does a great job as the central authority figure, and the music is great. You can see how it earned a Leo Award! I'm really not sure why its ratings are so low on here! One of the best parts of the show is the story-telling time whereby the puppets become characters in the story being told by Courtney to teach some lesson. There's also a neat end segment where they all read postcards sent from viewers(?) from all over the globe and teach viewers about the place or country the letter came from. It'll be good fun for any kid ages 3-10.
Franny's Feet (2003)
Great animation that promotes imagination over eye candy!
Franny's Feet is about a darling of a five year old who regularly visits her Grandpa at his shoe repair shop. Using her imagination she tries on different pairs of shoes brought in by customers to be fixed by Grandpa and her imagination takes her on an amazing journey related to the pair of shoes! Each episode is only about 11 minutes and is followed by a 3 minute segment where Franny plays a game identifying objects related to the story.
The animation is colourful and uses both pencil artwork and a kind of paper cutout style that is a welcome throwback to older techniques (vs the widespread CGI-animation used nowadays). The theme music is also very catchy.
Franny's journeys take her from country to country and should entertain anyone. This show is tailored for ages 3-7, though I would say it can be enjoyed by all ages.