Bluenoser

OK Koby that was a little scary to read, as I fit all 11 indicators down the line. Thanks for that shivery feeling up and down my spine at the moment...:)

I've always thought that any movie that ran over 2.5 hrs should be required to have a mid break intermission for the reason Koby cites in non adult films and for those whose bladders can only go so long within us adults (and that can have nothing to do with the stupid extreme pop sizes) as well. That is me though...

Yup...got started in the mid 80s at local SF cons, well at that time con, we only had one at that point in the region, you would not believe the levels of distortion from copies of copies of copies we were willing to put up with as it was the only way to get nearly any anime around here back in those days. I remember when the rm and rmvb encodes showed up, it seemed like such progress from then...lol. Yes, I know, I'm old...lol.

For me it was Speed Racer, G-Force (aka the Americanizaed Science Ninja Team Gatchaman), Star Blazers (the first Space Battleship Yamato series and what started me into finding anime in the first place in the late 70s), and of course Astroboy. Not that I had a lot of options in my youth...lol. Seriously, it was Star Blazers that drove me to find the origins of the series, and led me into the world of anime by the end of the 70s, a journey I have never regretted, indeed been ever grateful for.

Happy Birthday Taylor...your brother misses you as much now as he ever did, and I honour that here.

Well, that does depend on how far back you are going with the term "ancestors" now, doesn't it.....LOL.

*chime!* Sorry, couldn't resist...seriously, my Kill la Kill in netflix STILL is Japanese only, at this point is it actually a bit of an outlier compared to the rest of the options.

Koby: Sorry to see what you went through in this. I know I have not been around much the last couple of years, family health issues and end of life stuff happening with parents keeps me too busy these days. Yet I still check this site periodically, and not just for the downloads but also the threads that interest me topicwise, and that part is not going away, so neither am I. I do want to thank you once again for your dedication over the years for spreading anime awareness as much as you have, and my wife thanks you for many hours of enjoyment she could not otherwise have had given her reading issues regarding subs. Those days may be over here, but the community lives on, and I am not leaving...be a bit distant, but that's due to RL matters, not your site. It is still going to be a place I check very regularly when I have the free time, so I look forward to seeing how you go from here on. Again, my thanks, gratitude, and respect for all you have put into this place over these many years now.

I am a long standing fan of this property and this season has not disappointed me so far (up to ep 8.5 dubbed as I write this), but I never know until the end of a season/series, if the rebooted Battlestar Galactica taught me anything it was that (yes, still holding grudges for that ending), but so far my hopes are high. I am so glad that this is getting continued, almost as glad as I was to see Yamato getting a second season and more importantly finally getting DUBBED!!! Given the nostalgia value of Star Blazers to my NA age group I could not understand the many years delay for that, and at least S2 is getting dubbed much faster. So far though this series and S2 Yamato and Ancient Magus Bride have been the only things I have had the time and energy to follow and focus on (dying parents take a lot out of one), and right now IV is the one I am most hooked into, there is something about Sousuke's development from pure child soldier into a real more fully human personality I find exceptionally endearing, especially the way Kanami has enabled it, and this story continues that IMHO. The action sequences have also not disappointed, far from it but then in this series I never had much issues there.

I think quite highly of both miniseries, a far better visual telling of Dune (the original trilogy anyway) than Lynch's movie back in the 80s. I liked them both enough to actually go out and get the DVDs as they came out, and I rarely do that. I have watched and rewatched both many times, and I still do not get tired of it. Between how well the original material was translated into AV form this time and frankly a cast that did a wonderful job of bringing it to life, hard for me to not love it. The visuals that show the world being as well done as they are was the visual cherry on top of that delicious piece of cake for me. I much prefer the Julie Cox Irulan in particular, both the casting choice, and the far more expanded role she is given to work with as she was in the books. Ian McNeice as Baron Harkonnen was outstandingly brilliant even by his own high abilities as an actor even in a strong and excellent cast, and I cannot even begin to explain how much better Alec Newman was as Paul than Kyle MacLaughlan in my view. Saskia Reeves made an interesting take on Jessica, frankly this is one of the few cases where I found the comparison between Dune 1980s movie and the miniseries casting and acting be be comparable. Both Jessicas were good, but yet both showed the same character in subtle yet clear differences, and while I prefer the Reeves version I will not trash the lady from the movie. As for the sequel miniseries, the casting of James McAvoy as Leto II was inspired, and for me really supported the last two disks in particular. The substitution of Alice Krige for Saskia Reeves was not something I wanted to see, but she at least did it well enough to keep me happy, and as for Sarandon's character, she brought that particular character to life very well indeed, which is a real compliment because I am NOT one of her biggest fans both of her profession and personal aspects. Oh and a shout-out for the woman who played Reverend Mother Mohiam, especially in the final death scene, although in fairness I enjoyed her portrayal of this character throughout both miniseries far more than the woman who did it in the movie, but in this case for me it is the first one was good, but the miniseries one was great. Oh yes, have got to give mad props for the soundtracks for both miniseries, I just loved them, one of the best background music scores I've heard in some time. So yes, I have a very good opinion of the two miniseries, both in their own right as shows to watch, and as translations of books, especially ones as well known and influential within their genre as Dune is, into TV/Movies. That is a brief reply to your question...(never ask for a detailed one, the internets could crash...LOL).

The ending of the reboot left too many unanswered questions and hanging threads for my liking...right up to the series ending though I thought it was one of the better series I had seen and the best TV reboot of a SF series. I can appreciate the series but in the end there was a little too much deus ex machina in it for me combined with too many lingering questions. That is why it does not rank that high for me, a bad ending can spoil years of good writing for me, and sadly that was how this one worked for me. Frankly I thought the writer(s) copped out at the end, and given that it had been so well written and structured to that point, well that was a major issue for me, and I know others as well. That is me though, I know many other SFers that think this was one of if not the best series they have seen so you are far from alone in that POV, I simply do not share it. Since you asked...

I am an original Trekie, in that I was watching the series as it first aired as a very young child with my father. So I also was in my youth when the first Star Wars film came out, and of course when ST went to movies and then back to TV. I was well into my mid 20s when B5 came along. I mention this to note I was along for all of them as they first started, and being a SF junkie since I first could read (I started young, I was reading my fathers SF classic novels and Analogs when I was 7) . So I was up for any and all SF that I could find on TV and movies, as growing up there was little quality such out there, for that I had to read for it, which since I am first and foremost a bookworm not the harshest thing, but still.... So I come at this first and foremost as a SF junkie before all else. My vote? Babylon 5. I would place Trek second to it, and Star Wars at third. Reasoning? In reverse order, Star Wars while epic and accessible for so many is in many ways the least SF nature story IMO, it is far more classic epic good versus evil/black versus white reasoning structure writing about mythic characters and archtypes and the struggles for and with power. Nothing wrong with that of course, and well told overall (assuming the last chapter in the trilogy of trilogies holds up, still waiting on that one) It uses a SF setting to tell these stories, but in itself, not all that true SF, or at least not terribly creative/unique SF in terms of telling stories that reflect the human condition. Take A New Hope, the first released Star Wars film, I saw it in the theater and felt cheated in many ways, because it was to my eyes a western in space and not real SF, and I never liked westerns growing up, and not really SF beyond the setting. I will give the overall film series high marks for epic scale, but in the end, as SF I find it the weakest of the three. Although the writing and dialogue can have good moments, I still have yet to forgive the introduction of Jar Jar Binks to the franchise (pet peeve, more about the clear trying to hook in children of a new generation so as to widen consumer base, not that I have a problem with the idea, but the execution of it....ah that is another matter entirely). For visuals though is it hard to deny the outstanding nature of the franchise from beginning to end, but it takes more than good visuals, no matter how excellent, to hook me into anything SF. Star Trek, this does a far better job of representing SF in terms of exploring the human condition through the use of changing settings and implications of technology, but where it comes up short in my view is the lack of epic scale and larger archtypes, which I do give Star Wars greater props for. I also find the fact that for the most part Star Trek is self contained stories that go back to the beginning (starts on bridge, ends on bridge, that sort of thing) limits the scale aspect. Not saying anything is wrong with this, just the inherent limits of a storytelling structure. I also find the writing to be a bit hit or miss at times, and while good at making specific points, not so good at the larger vision thing that way. However, to deny the very real cultural and science/technological impacts this series has had and continues to have on our species would be foolish, and of the three choices in the poll is CLEARLY the one with the greatest global impact on humanity overall, not even close IMHO. That though is not enough to give it my favourite status, although well worth recognizing. Babylon 5. This wins for me on two different fronts. First off, the hard science in it was remarkably well thought out and did the best to stay true to what we currently knew/know. Things like the fighter launch bays being one example. But that is a lesser reason why it tops my list. It tops my list because it follows the classic heroic epic long form storytelling mode and tells an intricately woven epic SF story on the macro and micro scales together, something I find both Star Wars and Star Trek do not manage as well. B5 also had some of the best overall writing I see in the three, especially as delivered from the mouths of several key characters many times throughout its run. G'Kar in particular got some of the best, but Sheridan, Delenn, Londo, even Vir (for that I have to give it to his confrontation with Morden when he is asked what he wants, and the way he delivers that segment is one of my favourite scenes in the 5 years) and Lennier get some good ones through the series. More, the conflict between order (Who are You?), chaos (What do you want?), the grand forces driving them (Vorlons and Shadows) and the ability to find our own way with maturity between them while a classic story concept was in my view particularly well executed in B5. I know some of this is inherently subjective, but B5 ranks as my favourite SF TV series of all time, this despite things like Dr Who, Stargate SG:1 and Stargate: Atlantis also being strong shows, Farscape (which I still believe was about the single most creative SF series I ever saw, still love rewatching it from time to time) and such also being out there. Babylon 5 is so far my clear winner for best SF show/series/franchise to date, although I am always willing to find something new if it comes out, but I will admit I also have a bit of a bias towards military SF and things along those lines, but then we all have our subgenre favourites within any genre. So that is why I voted and ranked them as I did. I would note that even my least favourite (Star Wars) I have overall very high regard for, but in terms of what works best for me on both personal and SF appreciation levels I have to go with the way I did. I know others will differ, but this is my take on it. B5 rules not so much because I love the settings, but the characters and the concepts, lives and lines they represent and deliver, the way they evolve through the five years, that is in the end what puts it over my top, YMMV. There are also far more shades of gray and nuance in this series than the other two, they both tend towards far more clear cut lines of good/evil and moral clarity, while B5 does the ambiguousness and understanding that truth is a three edged sword (your side, their side, and the truth, a Vorlon line from Kosh to Sheridan) and that perspective and context define morality and such in far more subtle and variable and varied ways. For me that too is why this series simply beats the rest for me. It of them all feels the most "real" in this regard. Real as in this is how reality seems and feels to me and always has, not so clear, and far more subjective and gray. You did ask for folks to explain their choice, hope I haven't overwhelmed you with it, I do tend to be a bit of a chatterbox when I get going on something of interest to me, and this happened to be one. Just ask Koby if you do not believe me, I used to be far more prolific here a few years back...LOL

For comedy, an old British classic, Yes Minister/Yes, Prime Minister. I can STILL watch it over and over again and crack up, which is why I put it over Blackadder, which I also have a lot of fondness for. For SF, kiind of hard to beat Dr. Who at the moment. For supernatural, Lucifer. For Drama, no real winners there these days for me, real life has been providing more than enough of that sadly. Honourable mention for shows like Forged in Fire, Canada's Worst Driver, and Gold Rush in the reality TV categories. These are shows I currently place this way, Yes Minister/Prime Minister is a rare exception of something that ages well for me. I've enjoyed it for well over three decades now, and my wife loves it too, which makes it extra special that way. I do not watch a lot of entertainment TV, never really have, always was more of a bookish person for that kind of entertainment.

With all due respect, you are comparing an OVA which is built UPON that which you are dissing (as in the manga had already provided it, which the anime is replicating), so of course it seems better, it rests upon the foundations the actual series is creating/showing. I do not mind harsh criticism, I just would prefer it to be INFORMED harsh criticism, and yours does not appear to clear that threshold. The series creates the characters, the contexts, and the closeness of the relationships you see in the OVA, as well as that being a self contained story in many ways too. Apples and oranges. At the minimum. The series is world building, the OVA was already world built. To compare the two, and to love the OVA while claiming the series is "lame", well does that speak to the material, or to the reviewer? I clearly submit in this case at least the latter.