I am a pretty big fan of anime. I take it how I can get it. Growing up, not having access to a great deal of funds, the main way I consumed anime was through the bad dubs which were aired as Saturday morning cartoons. This was further supplemented when the Toonami block first aired on Cartoon Network. With that, a whole new world of poorly dubbed anime was opened up to me. Granted, my eleven year old mind wasn’t capable of judging voice acting or plot too accurately at that point, but I was still entranced by the magic that these larger than life stories presented to me.

With the advent of broadband Internet and file sharing, my thirst for anime spread to locating whatever meager fan subs I could of my favorite shows, by whatever means necessary. This meant scouring IRC, WinMX, and even Limewire for these little efforts. I rarely was able to watch a complete series of anything, but what I did watch was better than the quality of programming to be found on television. Of course, in the midst of my struggles, Cartoon Network came through again, offering more adult theme animes, and I was again able to enjoy higher quality content, albeit at the cost of crappier voice acting. But it worked, and I was fine with it.

But, again, the problem of getting the newest and greatest content cropped up again. Shows such as Bleach would premiere, and the Internet would a buzz with the latest developments in the storyline, while those of us in the United States were forced to sit through origin stories and filler. So, I once again made my way to the Internet, where things had changed. YouTube had popularized the concept of streaming flash video, and with it, a host of knock off websites offering streaming anime popped up across the map. Actually finding content was a chore, but, to get the best content at the quickest speeds, it was an acceptable solution. And thus, until today, that was how I got my anime fix.

Full Metal Alchemist is a series I am a huge fan of. The storytelling, setting, characters and atmosphere are majestic and timeless. I watched the original series dubbed on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, and watched a streamed copy of the film by ways I described earlier. I learned a month ago that a new series based on the manga series, which diverged from the original anime series, would be premiering. I once again began pondering how I would access the new series content, and did a quick search on Google to learn what the series had in store. Which is when I came across something shocking.

When putting in “Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood” into Google, one of the first results to pop up was the official Funimation page for the series. Nothing unusual, since Funimation is the company which has the licensed rights to distribute the series in North America. But the most shocking part came when I clicked on the link. I was taken to a page which offered FULL, STREAMING episodes of Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, available four days after the premiere in Japan. This is insanity. Distribution companies in North America have been notorious for cracking down on streaming copies of content which they hold license to, past, present or future. So, for Funimation to be offering this content, free, streaming, and available within days of initial release…well, it’s pretty damn shocking.

Even more stunning is that Bandai Entertainment has also taken the same path of Funimation, and posted up the ENTIRE first season of Gundam 00 and Code Geass up on their own YouTube channel. Both series are available either dubbed or subbed, which is a huge advance. Considering how tight fisted these distributors have been over their content in the past, these are huge steps forward. More anime content is available free and streaming than ever before, especially with Hulu offering anime content as well. All in all, it’s an excellent time to be an anime fan. One can only hope what nifty stuff have coming in the future.

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This past Friday, I, as many geeks did, tuned in for the final episode of Battlestar Galactica. It’s a seminal show in the history of science fiction, and television in general. It possessed a message, and narrative style which few shows like it have been able to achieve. It deviated from previous portrayals of science fiction with a gritty, dirty environment (much in the way Firefly before it did, but that’s another discussion for another day) and characters who were more human and emotional than what is found on “reality” show which dominate the airwaves today.

Battlestar Galactica drew much ire from fans of the original 1978 series, having little to do with it beyond common names and beginning narrative structure. The miniseries was criticized for being a bit too brutal, and at various points throughout the series, some moments were called upon as being far to gruesome/black for what was necessary from the series at the time.

But when Galactica shone, it was brighter than any other show on television. BSG and its writers were able to take the stories and themes of the current day and were able to apply them is a timeless, intelligent manner is something which is not done very often in television. While at times some of BSG might have gotten roundabout and nonsensical (Kara Thrace can’t die? Head Cylons?), there was always the strong base of great writing and great acting to fall back upon.

Battlestar Galactica accomplished something truly rare for science fiction, by making it appeal across the board to nongeeks and geeks alike. I will miss watching it weekly, sharing it with others (the night of the finale, I was in a UStream chat room, watching people watch BSG while I was watching BSG), and indulging in the end of a fantastic show which had become significant to me.

So say we all!

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Taken from Aint It Cool News:

“I told my agent and told the people of J.J. Abrams’ team I want to create another ‘Star Trek’ series and have an idea that I’m kicking around,” acclaimed TV writer Bryan Fuller said in an IF Magazine story posted March 2. “I would love to return to the spirit of the old series with the colors and attitude. I loved ‘Voyager’ and ‘Deep Space Nine,’ but they seem to have lost the ‘60s fun and I would love to take it back to its origin.”

I started following Bryan Fuller’s career shortly after watching Dead Like Me, which to this day remains in my top 10 list of best television series ever. I’ve enjoyed everything he’s written, and he’s cited as scripting perhaps the best episode of Heroes to date: Company Man. While I think Heroes is complete and utter garbage, Fuller’s work on the show sparked my interest. So, to hear that he wants to do a new Star Trek television series is rather exciting.

Granted, it’s all just talk at this point, and J.J. Abrams has the final say for two years as to whether or not new star trek material can be made. But, if something like this were to be green-lit, I can guarantee you that I’ll be there come series premiere.

Also….I want the new Star Trek movie to come out NOW!

Thoughts? Comments? Post them below or e-mail me.

CommentsArticles Bryan Fuller, J.J. Abrams, Star Trek, television, tv

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (Hereby referred to as Terminator, T:TSCC or TSCC to save my fingers) was a pilot which was poorly received universally. By Terminator fans, by The Totally Rad Show guys, and me. The plot seemed cheesy, the acting and casting seemed awful, and the writing seemed convoluted and boring. So, I gave up on the show, and moved on to other pursuits.

Then, this past winter, I found myself languishing with nothing to do, and nothing to watch. Battlestar Galactica was coming, but it was a few weeks away yet. Dollhouse was coming, too, but I was unsure about the prospects it held. Digging into Hulu, I saw that episodes of Terminator were still up. So, I decided, why not, I’ll give the show a chance, I’m a fan of the Terminator franchise (mostly).

I am so glad I went out on a limb.

The Terminator franchise is one which has a lot of complex ideas occurring simultaneously. First, the idea of a killer robot which is unrelenting, unyielding and unstoppable at accomplishing its mission. Next, the time travel mechanism, which brings all sorts of questions of causality and impact which are deliciously complex. And finally, the very human stories of unrequited love, relationships and family. While the films do an excellent job of demonstrating these themes, they can never really be properly explained in a two hour film format. This is where TSCC really shines.

What we are faced with in TSCC is Sarah Connor, a mother who has spent the better part of her adult life living in fear of an enemy which doesn’t exist yet, which she spends her life preparing her son for. John Connor, who is destined to become a great leader and savior of mankind, but right now exists as a petulant teenager living a lonely life where his only company are those who know the man who he will become, but not who he is now. Derek Reese, a man who has seen horrors and suffering, and spends his days trying to steer the world away from what he has lived through. And Cameron Phillips, a Terminator in the vein of the Arnold Schwarzenegger character in Terminator 2, a machine designed to kill the people she is now assigned to protect, a variable and wildcard who might be set off at any time.

TSCC is great because it takes what makes the Terminator franchise so good and stretches it out into a medium which is better suited for its type of story. The films dealt with moments in time, when Skynet decided to alter its future by sending back implements of destruction. TSCC deals with Skynet going beyond simple killing, and using subterfuge to ensure its survival and strength in the future. It deals with elements of time travel and causation that make the geek in me giggle with glee. One particularly great episode takes a Terminator who traveled too far back into the past, killing a man who was supposed to build a tower where Skynet planned an assassination. So, the Terminator takes steps to ensure the tower will be built so that 80 years into the future, it can kill its target.

There are wonderful stories to be told in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and there is real potential to get one of the best series of all time, drawn from one of the best franchises of all time. It starts with people being willing to take a chance. So, I make my plea, here, to the Geek Troika audience: get your hands on whatever TSCC stuff you can and watch it. Tell your friends. Watch TSCC, and, I promise, you will NOT be disappointed.

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