Hi kids, it’s time to talk about moe again.

There’s two things I want to address here, the first is what is up with the strong feelings towards/against moe. The second topic I’m going to address tomorrow, so hold onto your hats!

We as anime fans on the internet can argue about moe all we want, whether it’s hurting or helping the industry or anime as an art form, whether it’s a boon or a detriment to storytelling, but when you strip away all of the noble back-and-forth posturing and gesturing, it basically comes down to two “yes” or “no” questions.

Does moe creep you out?

If so, are you okay with that?

And this is based on however you yourself interpret moe to be. Of course I’m generalizing, and there can be other reasons to dislike it, but from what I’ve seen this is the origin of the most vehement opposition to it is from the people who just cannot handle the idea that anyone proper of mind would like moe of all things, and its most ardent supporters are the ones who take offense to the idea that they are somehow developmentally insufficient.

Now it’s okay to be creeped out by moe, as that’s totally your prerogative. I may like moe myself, but it’s not like there hasn’t ever been an instance where I was creeped out by a piece of fiction and I was not okay with that. Specifically, I’m talking about that awful Thundercats comic from a few years back where they had Wily Kit and Wily Kat as bondage slaves to Mumm-Ra. Sure, they were adults in the comic but what the hell. That really weird sexualization of two comic side characters from a children’s cartoon bothered the hell out of me, especially because this was not some guy’s fanart but an actual official comic that was supposed to be like canon to the Thundercats story. In many ways I think it’s similar to the reaction that a lot of its opponents have against moe, replacing Thundercats with anime as a whole.

As to what influences perception of moe, that’s for the next post.

This idea just sprung to my mind when I was staring at the TED logo and I immediately started to collect all the logos/icons which somehow had an influence on my life (at least for one year), be it a commercial brand, an institution, a tv series, a band, a software or a website. I spent a whole day searching, scanning, editing, sometimes recreating these things, and it was a strange experience full of surprises and nostalgia. It made me smile when I saw the chronological connections between some icons that I had not thought of before.

The final surprise to me was to see how good icons are at defining a person, and I’m not talking blunt capitalism here (the piece on its own takes care of that job plainly without any need for my blabbers). For one thing, just the commercial products wouldn’t be enough. And although I am fully aware of a more interesting definition of capitalism which includes all the modern mythologies from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to Harry Potter, I think that there are icons there that you still can’t fit in that definition and without which this piece wouldn’t be strong enough; strong enough to make me want to look at this thing for hours like a vain girl looking at a mirror – this may sound weird, but you probably would understand what I feel if you were to look at your own version of this. It is also worth noting that towards 2009 appear some items that I myself created as a designer, which in turn started to define me – like the icon of my band or the logo of our design collective Fevkalade.

Some of the old items – like Cicibebe, Nutella or Remeron – are still wholly present in my life, by the way. I placed those things according to where they first made appearance. There are some old items I’m still looking for, so this is not the final version. I also plan to update it as years go by.

Update My friend Ece made her own with a clever twist on the layout. If you also plan to make your versions, please send me links so that we can build an archive.

Será?

Aunque soy muy fan de la serie animada, no se si realmente esperaría una película de ellos, evidentemente si la realizan sería de los primeros en irla a ver pero de alguna manera tengo muy fijos en mi mente los recuerdos de los dibujos hechos a la antigüita sin ningún tipo de efecto computarizado y así es como me fascinaban. Incluso ahora cuando los veo en DVD trato de que sea alrededor de las 8pm, con la tarea ya hecha

Chicles!

i scanned some of my drawings…no original ideas…all my comic stuff that i came up with is somewhere in a storage locker….

robear berbil bear from the thundercats tv show…(this was done in 2006)

starscream – mighty muggs style (drawn a few days ago, and i tried to color it in yesterday but didn’t have the right tools…and i was lazy…)

Perhaps the headline was too misleading – no, Thundercats still isn’t out of development hell, but some guy on Youtube put this together from clips from all over Hollywood’s celluloid creation. This trailer demonstrates a dreamcast that puts whomever will actually be in the movie when (if) it comes out to shame. The list and the trailer after the jump.

Brad Pitt (Fight Club, Troy) as Lion-O

Vin Diesel (xXx, The Chronicles of Riddick) as Panthro

Gigi Edgley (Farscape) as Cheetara

Hugh Jackman (X-Men, The Prestige) as Tygra

Daryl Sabara (Spy Kids, World’s Greatest Dad) as Wilykat

Alexa Vega (Spy Kids, The Mine) as Wilykit

Garfield (Garfield) as Snarf.

Okay, so maybe those last three aren’t that awesome, even though Bill Murray trying to do Snarf’s voice would be fantastic. (All I hear in my head is “Lip them? Lip them!”).

Come on, Hollywood – fill a fanboy’s heart with hope and make this freaking movie.

Um post com esculturas de fazer cair queixo de qualquer marmanjo, digo isso porque creio que esses personagens fez parte da infância de muitos assim como eu.

Panthro Thundercats – Escala 1/6 – em torno de 32 cm.

Se houver interesse contato@estudiomize.com.br

When my wife recently left for a trip to visit her folks I did what any self-respecting adult would do and queued our mutual Netflix list with all the movies and shows only I would want to watch.  Little did I know that one of the shows I haphazardly added would send me on a compulsive two-week nerdathon.  When I received the first volume of the Thundercats I watched the whole disc in one sitting, then the second, and then the third, hardly bothering to shower or feed myself during the self-induced hermitage.  I was quickly captivated again by a show I loved so much as a kid. I let the geek fest begin, but did not go as far as this:

::Facepalm::

 or this:

Lion----oh?

or even this:

Rawr?

 But I would not put past myself to buy this collection on a drunken night of Ebay shopping (much to the chagrin of my wife):

The True Fan Shrine

I never had the Cat’s Lair or the Thundertank, but I did have my fair share of Thundercat toys and seeing this picture is an instant reminder of the numerous hours I spent bashing them together…fighting or making out, I can’t quite remember which anymore.  

While rewatching all the episodes from an adult perspective I cannot quiet recall another program that combined all the elements of action, mesmerizing animation, and moral guidelines that the Thundercats brought to millions of televisions sets.  No offence to the hard work of mom and dad, but the Thundercats had a hand in shaping my moral development that they or other kid’s programming did not.  As Lion-O learned valuable life lessons from the ghost of Jaga,  so did I. I knew that patience, fortitude, and strength were all things to strive for, even if I didn’t quite know what they were while I was swinging around my plastic Swords of Omens.  I know I will continue through my life balancing what I find  just and fair until my own kids can learn these important lessons as they run around the house, yelling at the top of their lungs, “Thundercats, HO!” (Or find me completely unhip and crazy whenI dress as Lion-o for Halloween and they refuse to go trick or treating with me. And speaking of which, has the Philosophy of Thundercats been written yet? ).

I’m sure a whole chapter of my new Thundercats book could be dedicated to the interesting tidbit I picked up on my wife showed me while putting off writing researching this blog entry: The voice of Lion-O, Larry Kenney, is also the father of Kerri Kenney from MTV’s The State and Reno 911! fame.

Larry Kenney

Kerry Kenny-Silver

Dude, if my Dad were the voice of Lion-O you had better believe I would have an awesome personalized voice mail message, “You have reached Logan, the Lord of the Thundercats, and I am away from my phone right now fighting mutants or cruising for chicks in the thundertank, please leave a message after the beep.”  This would also be followed with using the Sword of Omens to screen my calls because the Lord of the Thundercats can’t be bothered with telemarketers or prank calls from Mumm-Ra.

A cada dia farei um post com esculturas de fazer cair queixo de qualquer marmanjo, digo isso porque creio que esses personagens fez parte da infância de muitos assim como eu.

Panthro Thundercats – Escala 1/6 – em torno de 30 cm.

Se houver interesse contato@estudiomize.com.br

A cada dia farei um post com esculturas de fazer cair queixo de qualquer marmanjo, digo isso porque creio que esses personagens fez parte da infância de muitos assim como eu.

Lion Thundercats – Escala 1/6 – em torno de 44 cm.

Se houver interesse contato@estudiomize.com.br

Video de una muy esperada película que nunca pense que fuera a ser editada, lástima que será en CGI.

Esse é um daqueles fakes que você gostaria que realmente fosse verdade!

Dá para identificar que é montagem de vários seriados e filmes, como Troy, The Lord of The Rings (The Eye), PowerRanger (isso ou algo parecido), X-men e muito mais…

Q: Which Thundercat likes biscuits and soul music?

A: Lion-O Rich Tea (Lionel Richie)

I’ve had this link bookmarked for awhile: Amazing Retro Futurism Design Showcase. This article initially inspired me to create a blog.

The rules of retro futuristic design seem to be angular symmetry, use of color (usually in a rainbow motif), and luminance. The subject matter is always glam, striking, and bold.

Star Child by Paco Peregin for Factory311

To me retro futuristic imagery leaves you a bit nostalgic for a time we’ve seen, but have not experienced. TV shows like Jem,  or that part The Jetsons Movie where Judy dances with that alien/rock-star, even Thundercats, come to mind.

That theme song wont leave my head!

Top 1980’s Cartoons

1. He-Man
2. Thundercats
3. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
4. The Smurfs
5. Transformers

De  muitos outros que via até hoje esse de longe é um dos melhores.

So, President Obama wants to make school days longer and cut back on the summer vacation, huh? At first, it sounds like a horror movie come true, but once you read this article you’ll see that there is more than meets the eye:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33054056/ns/us_news-education//

There are points to their argument that I agree with and there are some things that they would like to try that I agree with as well. No, I don’t like the idea of taking away summer vacation, but I do agree in making a class 10 minutes longer. This is 10 minutes that you can use to answer questions, review tests, focus on difficult topics, engage students in relevant discussion and more. Time in the hands of a creative and passionate educator is like the Sword of Omens in the hands of Lion-O–it makes for a devastating combination. Let’s see just how creative Captical Hill will become with this one. Stay tuned…

Will U.S. Education ever become as sharp, effective and life saving as his sword? Tune in for the next episode!

Olá, olá!

Continuando com nosso especial Dia das Crianças, após revelar os segredos mais secretos de meus convidados, e concluindo que se eles tivessem estudado na mesma escola, com certeza teriam botado fogo nela.
Agora vou levar alguns às lagrimas, com tanta nostalgia que vou invocar aqui…
Tantas lembranças, tantas coisas que passaram e deixaram saudades.
Vamos à segunda pergunta:

O que existia na sua infância que não existe mais?

Entavix: “O que existia na minha infância eram cartoons e programas de comédia sem o ‘politicamente correto’”.

Taí, Entravix mostrando que desde pequeno gostava de uma comédia para maiores de 18 anos.

Samurai: “É isso: kinderovo por cinqüenta centavos e que vinha chocolate nos dois lados =]”

Eu também sinto falta disso. Hoje em dia chocolate anda caro demais. Sou mais enfrentar a TPM do que comprar chocolate para curá – la.

Pizurk: “Ah, eu nunca mais achei Cherry Coke. Era muito bom, não sei por que parou de vender”.

Nem sei o que é Cherry Coke. Mas vou pesquisar e falo para vocês.

Então Cherry Coke é isso?

Uiara: “Tem uma porrada de coisa que não existe mais… Ou que mudaram drasticamente, a moranguinho é toda de plástico agora, coisa mais feia. Mas o que eu mais sinto falta, com certeza, é do biotônico com álcool”.

Do tempo que ainda se fornecia álcool para as crianças.

Hum… Agora eu entendo o porquê da Uiara ser tão imune ao álcool. Desde pequena ela tomava doses medicinais… E viu como ela é inteligente em suas respostas?

Aninha: “Bons desenhos animados”.

Sucinta e clara. Isso sim que é advogada. Boa, Sócia!

J: “Amizades e brincadeiras na rua… Antes tinha, hoje está se perdendo. Antes, brincávamos de polícia e ladrão e valia o bairro todo. Hoje em dia só assalto… Tá foda”.

Uma resposta com fundo político e pensamento social. Essas crianças realmente aprenderam alguma coisa na escola.

Rogue: “Muita coisa… Mas a única que me dá mais saudade é a união que meu avô conseguia proporcionar à minha familia :/”.

Foi assim que fiquei...

Pequena Gafanhoto, você quase me levou às lagrimas agora.

Madruga: “Na minha infância tinha o pogobol. Hoje não existe mais. xD”.

Madruga revelando que também tinha seu lado normal.

Cássio: “Pergunta complicada, tanta coisa que me dá saudade… Pula-pirata, aquaplay… Na tv, O Mundo de Beakman, 2 Stupid Dogs, Changeman… Trem da Alegria!”.

É, se ele falasse que tinha saudades da Xuxa, eu desistiria dele como colunista musical.

The Eldar: “Tem uma porrada de coisa, já que minha infância foi no final dos 80 e boa parte dos 90… De brinquedo: Lango-Lango, Fofão, pogobol, os bonecos dos comandos em ação (com várias naves grandes), aquelas espadas de plástico do He-man, do robô dos Changeman, a pistola do Zillion e uns bonecos de insetos… Na TV tinha: SpaceCops, SpaceHawks, o desenho Caverna do Dragão, o desenho dos comandos em ação, foi a época da Lambada (Grupo Kaoma), jaspion, changeman, flashman (um dos meus favoritos), Jiraya (outro favorito), Jiban, Go Go 5, Zillion (esse era O favorito), o Clube da Criança com a Angélica, o Milk Shake (também com a Angélica mostrando a pinta), TV Colosso, e Glub-Glub. Tinha mais coisa, mas isso é que lembro mais…”.

Ora, e como tem coisas para sentir saudades. Eu lembro da TV Colosso, da Caverna do Dragão (Que até hoje não sei qual o final. Se bem que acredito que ninguém saiba.), e Jiraya. Bons tempos aqueles…

Vivien: “Thundercats, Pirocóptero, TV Colosso, Fofão, e umas balas que “ferviam” na bola que eu não me lembro o nome”.

A Vivien foi longe: balas que “ferviam” na bola? Essa nem eu conhecia. Depois pergunto para ela…

Opa, tá quase acabando.
E estou me sentindo quase normal só de ler o que esse povo escreveu.

Então, agora preparem se para a próxima pergunta. Porque ela teve respostas quentes.

tssssss, QUENTE!

Última parte

The urban culture is so fierce over here, everyone hangs with their different crews and cliques. Sometimes its hard to keep track of who’s with who. But not with our posse, we are so tight.
Let me introduce to them….
1st and foremost, there’s my best friend in the world (yes, BFF!! Hahaha!), Alexis. She’s just a beautiful, wonderful flower. She can have any guy she wants!!! Look out fellas! Not only that, but she’s always had my back. We go way back to primary school. She was the only one that stepped in when Derek, the school bully, tried to stuff an HB pencil up my nose. Ever since then, I’ve loved that gurl!
She’s also a mad dancer! Her and I flow so well together, its like we read each others minds out there. I could go on and on, but there’s more ppl!
Steve-O is our b-boy champion!! Whenever a b-boy smackdown starts in a club, he’s in the middle of the circle breaking and locking like no other! He even has a patented move called the ‘flasher-lock-pick-hustle’ that has NEVER lost a contest. He’s a reg on the club scene and so he knows all the DJs and hooks us up with discounts to all the hot spots. And when theres a birthday coming up, because he works at *EDITED*(Steve-O asked me to change this, he doesn’t want to lose his job!! Yikes!), we head down for a few games of shoot-em-up. Those boys can get a bit rough, but its all good.
Trask (or K_Star) is the newest member of the crew. He’s one of the shortest and is pretty puny but there’s something about this boi that all the gurls love. He’s improved outta sight thes last few months and is fast becoming one of our strongest threats. When he perfects his K_Star Throwdown manoeuvre our crew’s status is gonna elevate – sky high baby, interstellar! We are a little worried in the meantime about some of the neck injuries he is sustaining. The dance is stronger than the body?
Between the four of us, we run the Lighthouse Crew. And we are called that because we “turn n shine, baby!!”. Diamond also plays a big part, he’s got the craziest moves direct from the asian underground. And of course, rounding out the crew are Felicity, Jill-Lo and Sneaks.

It was Saturday night, and as usual, we met up at Steve-O’s place and caught the train into the city.
We headed to our usual spot, and it had the longest line. Its always so busy on Saturdays. But luckily Steve-O has the hook up with the bouncers so we walked straight in. I love the feeling of VIP treatment. One day I know that the Lighthouse Crew will get it across the world!
Now, this was just like any other night, girls out looking good and players trying to get some action. But, there’s always something that happens. Between the 8 of us, someone always has a story. It just happens that on Saturday, we were all involved. What does it mean when the whole crew is involved? Thats right, its a battle, a dance off.

Now I could break down the battle, move by move, and fill up a whole blog, but I’ll spare you (this time!). All you need to know is that we lost. And the reason we lost…. is because I messed up a move. And let me apologise to me crew, first and foremost…. Im really sorry guys! That backflip is something that I should have down! We had gone neck and neck with the Thunda-Katz (our rival dance crew… more on them later!), and the last individual battle came down to me and Fossil. She’s a nasty piece of work… but a champion dancer. She had just laid down her set, and I knew I could beat it. As I strutted out of the circle, everyone thought I was done, but I stepped to Sneaks, and propped up the backflip off his leg….

I knew I was off balance… I knew it was looking bad… but I thought I could control the landing… I slipped and ended up on my stomach… I tried to recover with a quick power move… but everyone could tell it was spoilt…. Again, so sorry guys! I hate that feeling. I know I let the crew down. But it happens. Dance is a dangerous game; You can be up in the air, feeling alive at one moment, and then down and out on the floor in the next.

I had work on Sunday… it was the worst! I was so tired and sore. But I think my ego was hurting the most! I just slipped on my wide brim RedStar hat, and stuck at it. Seemed like the shift lasted forever. After we closed, I went out back to the walk in freezer and put on my jam (thats right Get Low – Lil John) and practiced so hard. I faced the pig carcass we had and pretended it was Sneaks. My mind shifted back to Saturday night. Suddenly the freezer became the dance floor…. I ran up to the pig stepped on its leg and just like that I was in the air. I flipped! I landed! Perfect! And then I came back to my senses… back in the freezer… back to work. But my RedStar was still on… and I knew I could do the move…

…till next time Thunda-Katz….