mara.morar - 2013-03-17 01:01:35

Catblue: Dynomite is a textbook example of a great idea poorly implemented. It definitely needs more love, and I think (even though it's only 4 years old) a remake or "reboot" could turn this into a fantastic series or OVA/ONA.Characters:I'm tackling the characters first here, because they are the strongest feature of the show. These characters have been referred to as "stereotypes", but that's not really taking it far enough - they are actual Archetypes, pulled straight from a Quentin Tarantino movie. The hard-ass New York Italian lowlife; the funky 70's blacksploitation hero; the wise-cracking street-smart Lady with a Grudge (and, in this case, nekomimi). This trio and the supporting characters and villains could power through just about any story they were dumped into.Story:The storyline itself is well written, enough so that you want to keep watching the rest... except there isn't any "the rest". It very much feels like an episode in a larger story, although it stands well enough on its own that you don't feel abandoned like at the end of some anime (*cough* NGE *cough*). Yes, there are some serious inconsistencies, such as the entirely inappropriate Jennifer Lopez reference in what is obviously supposed to be an homage to the 70's mob scene.Animation:Things start to go bad now. This is a cell-shaded CG movie, and as is often the case, that means the backgrounds look grand - but the characters are iffy. The scenery, cars, buildings, etc are gorgeous. The character designs are gorgeous. But when they move - ugh. It looks like rotoscoping. The mouths are over-animated - in the attempt to make sure you *know* they're speaking English, maybe. The only time these characters actually let their lips meet is when they're absolutely silent. Acting:Ugh. This is really where this anime falls apart. The voice acting sounds like a cold table reading rather than a final audio track. I have to admit that the voice actors do manage to capture the essence of the characters, they just seriously sound like they're reading a script instead of acting their parts. Since this is an English-only piece, it could be that the Director (if Japanese) just couldn't tell if it was good or not.Music:To end the detailed breakdown on this series on a high note, the music is spot-on. Appropriate to the era, mixed well, fits with the action perfectly. Two big thumbs up.Misc:* I'm seeing some abuse of this movie for not having a Japanese audio track. I don't understand that at all. It has nothing to do with how good an anime this is. There are a whole lot of anime out there that don't have English dubs yet (and many that likely never will). Deal with it. * I found this show via Crunchyroll, and as far as I can tell, they, ANN, and this are the only places that know of it. There is no wikipedia article, no IMDB entry. Not even a tvtropes entry. "Needs more love" indeed.Conclusion:The design behind this movie is brilliant. Scenery, character design and development, music, script, etc - nearly flawless. The execution, however, is a near utter failure. In the end, I want to watch more - but I want to see it better produced. The best indicator of how good any piece is, is this - would you recommend it? I have to give an unequivocal "yes" to this. I want more people to see it. I want to see more of it. And I desperately want to see it better cared for by its creators.