Last Saturday, discovered that Takashimaya is having a toys sale, and has great offers for a number of Anime titles distributed by ODEX (the company that is licensed to distribute some anime titles in Singapore, and threatening legal actions to illegal downloaders here).
I couldn't resist it ... the entire set of Agatha Christie's Great Detectives (アガサ・クリスティーの名探偵ポワロとマープル, Agasa Kurisutii no Meitantei Powaro to Maapuru) is being priced at S$10/box, the entire set in 3 boxes! I came across this series some years back when I did download fan-subbed anime, but I only got the first 2 episodes. (official website)
Spent some time looking around for more, (trying to see if I can spend S$50 in a single receipt and redeem 2 hours parking fees), it was a bit of a challenge since I was carrying Snowylad and the boy liked to wander around (and this is in the midst of a toy fair).
Was temped to get Black Jack (ブラック・ジャック Burakku Jakku), originally a manga series by the great Osamu Tezuka, but considering I was not sure if the anime production lived up to the manga (which was great). In any case, I can't find the complete series.
Finally settled on Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo (巌窟王, Gankutsuō), complete series 2 boxes, 24 episodes. I didn't check carefully and didn't realise this adaptation of Alexandre Dumas (père) classic was set in a futuristic sci-fi setting. (official website)
Not only that, its unusual visual style layers Photoshop textures into digital animation, with backgrounds often rendered in 3D, is just a little less painful than psychedelic cartoonings of the 1960s. It took a while before I just managed to filter out the distracting textures and concentrated on the characters.
My problem now is ... do I sleep? ... or do I watch? ... Bearing in mind that I am trying to re-establish a regular exercise routine in the morning, the choice is so hard to make ...
The sale is still on?
ReplyDeleteYup, it's called the 11th Craziest Toys Sale and on until 12 August.
ReplyDeleteThere's the S$10/box series and S$20 per pack series.
Must check it out then. And might have some toys worth picking up.
ReplyDeleteChecked it out today. Saw one classic series Cowboy Bebop but eventually didn't pick it up. The rest were so-so and you probably picked up the best of the lot.
ReplyDeleteLet me know if you'd like to borrow either series.
ReplyDeleteI finished running through the Agatha Christie's episodes, skipping most of the multi-episode storylines, and finally compiled a list of what the series were showing.
ReplyDeleteEpisode Titles
01 The Jewel Robbery at the Grand Metropolitan
02 The Adventure of the Cheap Flat
03 Strange Jest
04 The Case of the Perfect Maid
05 The ABC Murders Part 1 - The Letter
06 The ABC Murders Part 2 - The Second Letter
07 The ABC Murders Part 3 - The Third Letter
08 The ABC Murders Part 4 - September 11, Doncaster
09 The Kidnapped Prime Minister Part 1
10 The Kidnapped Prime Minister Part 2
11 The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb Part 1 - Challenge from the Ancient
12 The Adventure of the Egyptian Tomb Part 2 - King Men-her-Ra's Curse
13 Tape-Measure Murder
14 Ingots of Gold
15 The Blue Geranium
16 Peril at End House Part 1 - On the Night of A Party
17 Peril at End House Part 2 - Secret Love
18 Peril at End House Part 3 - Perfect Evidence
19 4:50 from Paddington Part 1 - Murders on a Train
20 4:50 from Paddington Part 2 - Lurking Shadow
21 4:50 from Paddington Part 3 - A Simple Motive
22 4:50 from Paddington Part 4 - Marple vs the Killer
23 Adventures of a Christmas Pudding Part 1- Request from a Prince
24 Adventures of a Christmas Pudding Part 2 - The Royal Ruby
25 Plymouth Express Part 1 - Dead Body in a Passenger Compartment
26 Plymouth Express Part 2 - The Blue Dress
27 Motive versus Opportunity
28 Adventure of the Clapham Cook Part 1
29 Adventure of the Clapham Cook Part 2
30 Sleeping Murder Part 1
31 Sleeping Murder Part 2 - The Gateway of Memories
32 Sleeping Murder Part 3 - Helen's Love
33 Sleeping Murder Part 4 - Devil’s Hand
34 Four and Twenty Blackbirds
35 The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim
36 Death in the Clouds Part 1 - The Flying Locked Room
37 Death in the Clouds Part 2 - Madame Giselle in Paris
38 Death in the Clouds Part 3 - Blackmail to Lady Horbury
39 Death in the Clouds Part 4 - Heiress of the Vast Fortune
Since neither the cover boxes or the disks contain the info, this would be useful to myself if I want to watch a particular episode.
Ur, notice anything about the choice of stories animated in the anime series?
No, I actually haven't read many of them. You wouldn't by chance have Cowboy Bebop the series would you?
ReplyDeleteSorry, no Cowboy Behop.
ReplyDeleteSo what is the common link between the stories?
ReplyDeleteWell, first, they focussed mainly on the shorter stories, understandable since it is anime and directed at younger viewers.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course, they did not select those which have good movies made, such as Death on the Nile and Murder of the Orient Express. Not sure whether it is to avoid comparison or for other reasons.
In any case, I think the producers didn't do a good job in some of the episodes, though I've not watched most of the multi-episode stories.
One thing that does irk me is the inclusion of Japanese cultural norms, such as bowing, for the characters. They also failed to get the conventional dinner seating arrangement for the Brits right.