Kick the Night Off Ranma ½ Fanzine

Download a copy of the zine here.

Toward the end of summer in 2020, a friend that I had worked alongside of in the Stay Home With Sonic zine alerted me to another project that seemed similarly up my alley: Another zine, but this one focusing on the cast of Ranma ½. I had thoroughly enjoyed participating in SHWS and was eager for another opportunity like it, but I’ll admit, this one made me hesitate. Although I love Ranma ½, it’d probably been at least a decade since I’d actually read or watched it, let alone interacted with it.

But then, maybe that could be part of the challenge. This was an opportunity to test my ability to hit the ground running in less familiar territory, with a side bonus of prompting me to reignite an old flame. I decided to audition, and wouldn’t ya know I it, I made it in!

Netflix announces Sonic Prime, a new Sonic the Hedgehog animated series

News is spreading almost as fast as Sonic himself that a new animated series, Sonic Prime, is in development and slated to release on Netflix in 2022. According to the information that dropped this morning, the 24-episode series is aimed both at children aged 6-11 and “long-time fans,” and focuses on Sonic having to save “a strange new multiverse.” Sega and WildBrain are collaborating for the production, distribution, and licensing, while talent from Man of Action Entertainment, known for titles such as Ben 10 and Big Hero 6, have signed on as showrunners and executive producers.

Although the announcement of a new cartoon for the franchise is always newsworthy, the real buzz among Sonic the Hedgehog fans actually lies between the lines; specifically, speculation is already circulating as to what exactly the multiverse might entail. Will these be entirely original worlds, or as the noted long-time fans are hoping, will the series nod to other existing Sonic media? The fact that Sega is working with WildBrain in particular could potentially be a huge sign, as the studio currently holds the rights to the classic SatAM show (in fact, you can watch the entire series on their Youtube channel). Fans have fought for years to get the Freedom Fighter characters re-incorporated into the franchise; the characters lived on in the Archie comic series following the cancellation of the cartoon, but have yet to appear in the new IDW comics despite constant fan requests. Ian Flynn, lead writer for the Sonic the Hedgehog comics, has confirmed that Sega is aware of the fan interest.

Whatever the new series turns out to be, it’s coming at a great time for the franchise. Sonic is still riding high following the outrageously successful live-action movie last year, and a 30th anniversary coming up this June. With no concrete details and at least a year of waiting ahead of us, it’s too early to call whether or not this long-shot will come to be. All we know is that they can’t stop us hoping in the meantime.

 

Obligatory Legal Crap

I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog, nor am I affiliated in any way with Sega, WildBrain, Netflix, or Man of Action Entertainment. If I was, I’d like to think I wouldn’t have to work so hard to collect SatAM memorabilia. Seriously, instead of paying way too much money for a whisper of a trinket here or there, I could potentially get something from the inside while getting paid for it!

oh god, this has also made me realize that, should the impossible happen and the Freedom Fighters return, there could potentially be new merch of them. I literally just realized this while typing and my brain wasn’t prepared to handle it. I think I need to lie down for a while.

Hazbin Hotel picked up for production by A24

One week ago, one of my best friends ruined my life by introducing me to Hazbin Hotel, an adult animated series brought to us almost exclusively through the hard work of its creator, Vivziepop. I not only instantly fell in love with the show, but it seems that the impression it left has only deepened as the last seven days have ticked by. I eagerly looked it up hoping for more, but was gobsmacked to find that the second episode wasn’t expected to debut until roughly this time in 2021. I guess that’s to be expected when it’s pretty much a single person shouldering the weight of an enormous project with an exquisite quality standard, but even so, I felt the life leaving my body (no pun intended) upon realizing it’d be at least a year before I could have another dose.

Cut to today when a single tweet changed everything: Hazbin Hotel has been picked up by the studio A24! I had no idea who that was, but I was too excited to care! A quick Googling tells me that they apparently produce various kinds of entertainment media and have shows on Hulu, Netflix, and HBO – aka platforms where the show’s extremely adult humor probably won’t be watered down, thank heavens (still no pun intended). There is currently very little information available as to when or where we can expect to see new episodes of Hazbin Hotel, by which I mean there’s absolutely no information and we’ll just have to wait. The suspense is already killing me (NO PUN INTENDED I SWEAR I’M NOT DOING THIS ON PURPOSE), and I’ve only been into this show for a week; how in the hell (screw it I give up) longtime fans have managed to endure since October 2019, I’ll never know.

 

Obligatory Legal Crap

Hazbin Hotel and all related characters are ©Vivienne “Vivziepop” Medrano. I’m sure there’s now also some ownership rules involving A24 as of today, so let’s chuck them in here too for good measure. I know a lot of people are nervous about this union, but I have high hopes so far. If A24’s had the good sense to back Amy Sedaris and John Mulaney, then apparently they have very good taste and the show is in good hands. And hopefully future me isn’t looking back on this moment and sighing woefully.

5 Details That Would Take the Sonic Movie from Great to Perfect (contains spoilers)

The Sonic the Hedgehog movie has made its public debut, which means I can FINALLY discuss it in more detail!! The last week has been a real test of my self-control, because this movie is pretty much the only thing I’ve wanted to talk about. In many situations the only way I could sufficiently restrain myself was simply to abstain from the conversation entirely!

As I mentioned following my early viewing, I’m extremely satisfied with this movie. I fully expected it to be fun, but I never even expected it to be good, let alone great. There’s so much that the movie got right that, quite frankly, I’m stunned. I’ve been a Sonic fan for so long that I’ve become accustomed to disappointment (which was my reaction to the original gremlin design). To have an entry in this franchise actually do this well after all this time gives me the most unbelievable feeling. It stirs up nostalgia, but not in the sense that this film is reminiscent of the original games or cartoons; rather, I don’t have to defend myself for being a fan. I can say that I liked this movie and the response is typically, “Yeah, me too!”

That said, the movie isn’t perfect. I’m sure there are a few nitpicks one could make from a film critiquing perspective, but you’re not following this blog to hear from a professional movie reviewer, you’re here to listen to an awkward trash nerd babble about fandom junk! And in my opinion, there are five things in particular that would’ve taken the geekery of this movie from “old nerds shaping the next nerd generation” to “gaming convention collectively weeps as their nostalgia is validated.”

The Sonic Movie: Leedzie’s Sneak Peek

As part of the final round of promotions prior to the Sonic the Hedgehog movie’s release, the official Sonic movie mascot is touring the country for photo shoots. Coincidentally, one of these shoots was literally right across the street from my day job! A landmark in this area, known as “The Halo,” is essentially an enormous golden ring – the perfect place for the mascot to produce some movie hype! (Or at least it would’ve been, if it wasn’t February in Michigan and the ring wasn’t half-covered in snow.) I had every intention of turning up to observe the event and witness a little piece of Sonic history for myself, but naturally I had to work on the morning in question. Knowing that this shoot was going on RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET and not being able to watch was killing me, a fact about which my co-workers soon learned more than they ever cared to know.

Luckily, not all hope was lost: There would be more mascots stops this weekend, all of which were open to the public! One such appearance was at a theater in our area, so I decided to stop by and see if I could get a photo of my own. I happened to be off work that day, and a hug from Sonic is something I’ve wanted since I was a wee tiny Leedzie!

Little did I realize I was about to get MUCH more than I bargained for – including an advanced viewing!

Movie Sonic’s model will be redesigned following two days of intense backlash

As a long-time, incredibly jaded fan of Sonic the Hedgehog, I really wasn’t surprised when the first official movie trailer dropped a few days ago and plunged us all head-first into the uncanny valley. I had no confidence that it would be anything less ever since the initial teaser, which was more than enough to set off fan anxiety in and of itself.

This is as far as I go with posting this design, because I’m not adding nightmare fuel to my own blog.

Even as a silhouette, it’s obvious the design is a total miss. The situation got only got worse when it was revealed that Sega themselves weren’t happy with what the movie had done to Sonic’s eyes. Nevermind the fact that Sonic’s eyes are unique and easy to mess up; the eyes of a character – any character – are perhaps the single most important physical feature. They’re how we connect and part of what helps us determine whether or not a person is trustworthy. If some of the earliest information coming out about this movie is that the pivotal facial feature is borked, then yeah, I really wasn’t expecting much from that point forward (although admittedly, nothing could’ve prepared me for those fucking teeth).

Unlike me, however, other fans have been much more vocal about their dissatisfaction with this design, going so far as to dub it “the gremlin.” We knew it would be bad, but we could never predict it would be this bad, and an enormous backlash has flooded the internet in the wake of Tuesday’s reveal. The feedback has been so incredibly bad, in fact, that Sonic is actually getting a redesign. It sounds way too good to be true, but apparently this is legit. Director Jeff Fowler personally confirmed it today on Twitter.

Look, I’ve been a Sonic fan for so long that I’m more or less resigned to never truly getting what I want anymore. Even when Sonic media comes really REALLY close to greatness, there’s still just enough wrong with it to stop me from completely enjoying it. I’m used to it, and I expected nothing less from this movie. The horrifying goblin design isn’t what shocks me, this is. Who knows how much this is going to cost Paramount, and who knows if they’ll even still hit their November release date anymore. That alone seems like reason enough for the studio to just ignore the backlash and shove the movie into theaters anyway, but they’re actually putting in the work to ensure that what they release is good and do right by their audience. Maybe there really is some humanity left in this world.

 

Obligatory Legal Crap

I am not affiliated with Sega, Paramount, or the Sonic the Hedgehog movie in any capacity. I may be a lifelong Sonic fan, but there’s not enough money in the world to have convinced me that spending all day every day with that fucking gremlin would’ve been worth it. I’m going to have horrible teeth dreams as it is just from watching that trailer.

The Grinch’s heart was never too small

Welp, today is Christmas Day, and like a lot of you I decided to binge on some of my favorite holiday movies. There are certain titles I just can’t resist, such as A Christmas Story, The Santa Clause, Iron Man 3… (Yeah, forget the Die Hard controversy, Iron Man 3 is my holiday action flick of choice.) And of course, we can’t forget something as classic as How the Grinch Stole Christmas — a story that’s getting yet another movie, this time in CG. I can’t exactly say I’m looking forward to that one, so I’ve personally opted to ignore its existence for the moment and binge on the animated and live-action iterations instead.

The 2000 live-action version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas tends to split audiences on whether it’s a blessing or abomination, but good or bad, it gave us several additional insights into the beloved holiday story. We learn where the Grinch came from, why he has beef with Christmas and the Whos, and even why he lives on Mt. Crumpit. In the same vein, we’re also shown additional glimpses into Who culture and how their society works. Granted, most of these tidbits specifically reflect Christmas rituals, but there are elements that one can assume are a constant in the lives of the Whos.

Among these details, the most important revelation by far is the “Dumpit to Crumpit” chute.

The Lost Son Son

Whenever the topic of parenting comes up in Dragon Ball Z, there are a few talking points that can always be counted upon to surface: Piccolo is the best father, Vegeta probably spoils Bra, it’s weird that Krillin named his daughter after a shitty ex-girlfriend, aaand most commonly of all, Goku is a horrible parent, particularly to Gohan. He regularly abandons him, puts his life in danger, assumes his willingness without asking, and never, ever considers that his methods might be harmful. Goku doesn’t hurt him intentionally, but it doesn’t change the fact that he is doing damage, and the fandom rightfully calls him out on it.

The Son family in general is a dysfunctional mess, largely thanks to Goku’s haphazard and aloof attitude toward his wife and children. Although heartwarming and tender moments do happen, they’re disappointingly scarce. Even the most diehard GoChi fans readily admit that there are some very serious and deep-seeded problems; Goku and Chi Chi never seem to be on the same page, which not only sabotages their marriage, but also results in wildly different parenting styles. This creates an inconsistent home environment, which is always rough on children. But hey, at least there was that seven year gap following the Cell Games when Goku stayed dead! That means the Son household became more stable since there was only one parenting philosophy in action, right?

Well, maybe not. While I do agree that Goku’s absence probably meant fewer problems overall, it also quietly created another huge one – and this time, Goku’s not the culprit, and Gohan’s not the victim. I’ve always been surprised (and kind of disturbed) that no one ever seems to notice that Goten probably has a paper-thin relationship with his mother.

Dragon Ball Z: ResurrectionFFFF– (contains spoilers)

Dragon Ball Z is not, shall we say, succinct in its storytelling. The “sagas,” as they’re known, can take so long to make progress that in many cases it’s prevented new viewers from ever getting into the series at all. The series so well-known for its long, sluggishly drawn-out battles that Dragon Ball Z Kai and DBZ Abridged even exist to force the series to get to the point and move forward faster.

Luckily, no one has to slog through the 291 episodes of DBZ in order to get a good story out of this fighting anime. As of this writing, the series has an impressive 15 associated movies – 20, actually, if you also count the TV specials, OAVs, and that god-awful live-action trainwreck. (And that number’s just limited to the Z series; there are even more movies for the original Dragon Ball, and another TV special for Dragon Ball GT!) For the most part these movies came out long before DBZ was popular in the United States, meaning we got them years after the fact just like the rest of the series. However, by the time Battle of Gods kicked off a new era of DBZ movies, the franchise had spread to worldwide cult status, meaning that it would see theatrical releases in more than just Japan. The same happened with the latest film, Resurrection F – and I’m pleased to say that I’m one of the lucky few that’s gotten to see it during its limited showing!

I am not, however, pleased with how it ended.

The Prince and the Pauper: Vegeta’s Secret Struggle

Something I think people often misunderstand about Vegeta is that he lives more in a state of perpetual frustration than he does anger. I would venture that no one has a work ethic like he does, and yet for all of his unwavering effort, he never seems to get rewarded – not in the way he’s looking for, anyway. He achieves things unfathomable to the average person, but he just can’t ever seem to get there first. He literally spends ALL of his free time working his body so relentlessly that he frequently injures himself, and yet he’s always, always, always a few steps behind Goku. It’s no wonder Vegeta’s rarely in a good mood; he puts in far more effort than anyone else, and yet Goku – who not only devotes less time and attention to his craft, but is also a good 5-10 years younger than him – just breezes right by like it’s no big deal. Because for Goku, it really isn’t, and no amount of Vegeta exhausting himself will ever change that.

Which necessarily begs the question, why does he keep doing it? Why does Vegeta need to be the absolute best? What makes him so willing to sink the vast majority of his life into chasing a goal he’ll seemingly never attain?

The answer may surprise you.