DRAGON BALL 4-6 3-IN-1 EDITION -- POPSUGAR READING CHALLENGE #40

image from Goodreads

Okay, so this one was a no brainer.  I have a huge collection of manga that I have to read, which includes Dragon Ball.

I made it one of my "resolutions" to read some of the completed series I have (as in the ones I didn't read last year).

So I chose Graphic Novel as Your favorite prompt from a past Popsugar Reading Challenge.

This version of Dragon Ball is the only English uncensored version out. The Big Editions from Viz are censored. I even checked with them to make sure.

Anyway, I've watched the entire series of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, which i loved.  (Sigh, Vegeta.) So I decided to collect the manga because I like to read the source material.

It was fun. I love it. It's like watching the anime without the filler episodes. I'm hearing the voices and everything.

I could even place this under the nostalgia category, but I have something else in mind for that one.

So who else loves DB and DBZ? Whose watched and/or read it?  Who was your favorite character?

FULL METAL ALCHEMIST IS LIVE!

I just found the live action Fullmetal Alchemist movie on Netflix!!

So watching it as I type!

For those who do not know, FMA was created as an anime in the late 90s as well as a remake called FMA Brotherhood in the 2000s.  It was based on the manga of the same name.

There are anime movies as well as ovas for each series.

This has been on my watch list since the news of its production was released.

If it is as awesome as I hope, this will be a preorder.

Already two things I know will happen that will destroy me.  All I will say is Hughes and Shou Tucker.  Those that have seen the anime will know and those who haven't will not be spoiled.

I will now go hide with my tissues and blankie waiting to bawl my eyes out without regret or remorse.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Reflections #atozchallenge

REFLECTIONS

So I was hedging on whether to do A to Z this year.  I was totally not going to do it.  Then, I watched Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale in theaters on March 9th.  It was a fantastic edition to the SAO franchise.  I loved it.  I love the anime and the light novels.

It inspired and excited me so much that the idea for this year's theme popped into my head then and there.

Thus, I ended up changing my mind.

So I did a headlong frenzy of name finding. I internet searched anime lists, I scoured my anime shelves and manga books, and racked my brain to find those ever elusive Q and X letters.

I had to hedge on only one this year. Stupid X.  But my X post happens to be in my top ten of absolute favorites. So, all was cool. I was happy about it once I resigned that there wasn't an X anime character name that I had watched and liked.

My first post was prewritten on March 13th and it went on from there. I finally got Y (yes, I finished Z before Y) on April 26th.

But the most wonderful thing was I didn't get sick in the midst of April like I usually do. So that was fantastic.

So onto the awesome and not so awesome.

Thank you everybody who visited my blog this year.  Real life kicked my bootie this year with Summer Reading Program prep as well as other catastrophies.  So I couldn't get to other blogs as much as I wanted. I wish I could have visited more but life before fun sometimes.

I really, really missed the linky list.  It was handy to tab out 10 or more blogs and see what was happening on them.  I had a few regulars but not many new ones popping up on my blog this year.

So that was the not so awesome.

The awesome was there were some amazing A to Z blogs I did find. There was the snarky and hilarious posts about Mythology, Hair Bands, and Folklore.

Here are some of the anime characters that didn't make the list that I love as well:

Agil - Sword Art Online
Amon - Witch Hunter Robin

Creed Disketh - Black Cat
Chidori Kaname - Full Metal Panic

Ein - Cowboy Beebop
Edgar - Earl and Fairy

Gintaru - Gingitsune
Goku - Dragon Ball

Hiei - Yu Yu Hakusho
Hagi/Haji - Blood+
Hayate - Pretear

Yuuko Ichihara - XXXHolic

Karma Akabane - Assassination Classroom
Kurapika - Hunter X Hunter
Krusty - Log Horizon
Klein - Sword Art Online

Levi - Attack on Titan

Mikona Modoki - XXXHolic and Tsubasa
Mamoru Kusanagi - Blue Seed
Major Motoko Kusanagi - Ghost in the Shell

Lucrezia Noin - Gundam Wing

Okarin - Stein's Gate

Ryo-Ohki - Tenchi Muyo
Raven - Earl and Fairy

Sephiroth - Final Fantasy VII Advent Children
Sadao Maou - The Devil is a Part Timer

Twilight Sazuka - Outlaw Star
Trunks - Dragon Ball Z
Thoth - Kamigami no Asobi

Vincent Valentine - Final Fantasy VII Advent Children

Yu Kanda - D Grayman
Heero Yui - Gundam Wing

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Yusuke Urameshi #atozchallenge

To die to save a life can be noble especially if the person doing the saving is an unrepentant street fighter and slacker with a cruddy home life.  This is what happens to Yusuke Urameshi in Yu Yu Hakusho.

He found out that the boy he tried to save would have survived without his interference so his death was basically in vain as Botan tells him. She then goes to explain that he could come back to life since his death was unexpected although the conditions to return were strict.

After his return, he becomes a Spirit Detective for Koemna.

Yusuke's smart-mouth, delinquency, intimidation, fighting, and huge chip on his shoulder all conceal that he is a kind individual that loves his friends deeply.

🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆🎆

And because this is the one of the final A to Z posts, here's a bit of trivia: the writer Togashi Yoshihiro is also the writer of Hunter X Hunter. He is also married to the writer of Sailor Moon Takeuchi Naoko.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Xingese Prince #atozchallenge

Xingese Prince Ling Yao is the twelfth crown prince of Xing and is from the Anime Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. Ling Yao is one of the new character that was introduced in this remake of FMA. 

 He comes from the kingdom of Xing, which is in a state of crisis and chaos.  He becomes involved with the Elric brothers and with the homunculi when he fuses with the Homunculus Greed. 

He ends up becoming a pivotal character in the series.

He travels from his home country of Xing to Amestris for the Philospher's Stone, which has similar characteristics as the one of fable. But to make this stone, it requires to a horrible sacrifice.  People in FMAB fight and die to find and have this stone.

He is highly trained in martial arts, which definitely comes in handy during the show. He also has studied the Xingese version of alchemy, which led him west to find the Philosopher's Stone. 

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Washu Habuki, Walter C. Dornez #atozchallenge

Washu is the 'mad scientist' of Tenchi Muyo and the other various Tenchi shows and spin-offs. She has a lab in the closet of Tenchi's house.

She was, at one time, a goddess. She sealed her powers and memories away and came down to the third dimension to study the multiverse.

Ryo-Ohki

Her life wends through thousands upon thousands of years as a three dimensional person. She becomes a mother but the father takes him away. She creates Kagato, Ryoko, and Ryo-Ohki.

When we see her in Tench Muyo she is in a childlike body.

𝖂𝔚𝒲𝑾𝕎

Walter is the butler and somewhat bodyguard of Hellsing.

 He is known as the Angel of Death when he was in the field. He was a foul mouthed and callow youth, taunting his enemies and wantonly killing them. His weapon of choice was razor wires.

He grew out of the youth and turned into a dignified gentleman. He also produces the weapons that Alucard and Seras use. Now, he kills with swift efficiency.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Vegeta #atozchallenge

And we are back to the dulcet tones of grunting and yelling as warriors power up in another edition of Dragon Ball Z.  This time is the enemy turned Z Warrior, Vegeta, prince of all saiyans. (Of course, Frieza destroyed the saiyan planet and all the saiyans are dead except for Goku and Vegeta, but really does that matter to royalty.

Vegeta is as arrogant as the mountains under the ocean are high and an ego as long as the distance between the moon and sun. He thinks he's the best of the best because he is prince.  He doesn't understand how Goku can be more powerful.

Vegeta comes to Earth to take it over and sell it, which gets all the Z warriors involved.  After the epic showdown between Goku and Vegeta, Goku lets him go despite Krilin's warning to kill him.  Goku proves that he is right when Vegeta helps them on Namek later.

His quest to beat Goku becomes one of the long running threads in the series. It goes from pride's sake to one where he wants to push himself farther.

He returns to Earth, still cold and snotty and ruthless.  He slowly mellows as time goes by. He even becomes a family man. A hardened warrior going to an amusement park with his son. Yeah, not something I pictured either but it happens.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Quillish Wammy Watari #atozchallenge

Watari is the quiet handler of L in Death Note.  He is the 'face' of L.

In his other life, he is Quillish Wammy, inventor and philanthropist. He is also the founder of Wammy's House, which is a orphanage located in England.

Many of the super-detectives (like L and Mello) were brought up there. It's a place for gifted children.

He acts like a butler when he is with L, but in truth, they have more of a father/son relationship.

Surprisingly, he is trained in espionage and marksmanship.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Kirito, Kurama, Koro-sensei #atozchallenge

The Black Swordsman. Beater. Kirigaya Kazuto. These are all the names of the Sword Art Online's main character, Kirito. He is a loner and computer nerd who isolated himself from his family.

He enters the game on that fateful day with only playing the game again on his mind.
He was one of the lucky beta testers before the release of the game.

When they find the first boss, he is accused of being a beta tester and a cheater. He takes on the accusation with a snide comment of he was better than a beta tester. Thus, the epithet beater was established. He took on the role with a mind to protect the other beta testers stuck in the game.

He becomes one of the only solo players to be on the Assault Team, which are the elite players that take on the dungeons and boss rooms.

🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

Yoko Kurama, a fox thief who hid in the human world by merging with a human baby became the character of Kurama in the Anime series Yu Yu Hakusho.

We first meet Kurama (kuh-rah-mah) as an antagonist in the show who steals artifacts from Spirit World with two other demons, Goki and Hiei (he-ay) (He's another freaking amazing character that didn't make my awesome character list cut but he was close!). Yusuke is sent after them. to get the objects back and to send them back to Spirit World.

Later, Kurama and Hiei become friends with Yusuke and Kuwabara after fighting in the Dark Tournament as teammates. He is the tactician of the group with the quick wit and cunning of his demon spirit.

🐙🐙🐙🐙🐙🐙🐙

Koro-sensei is the quintessential over-the-top character. He can go Mach 20, he loves junk food, he has a weakness for naughty magazines, and, oh of course, how could I almost forget to mention that he wants his classroom students to kill him before he destroys the world at the end of the school year.

This is the basis of the story for Assassination Classroom.  It is a highly comedic and dramatic story that will rip your heart to shreds at the end (trust me, I was ugly crying at the end of second season. And I do mean UGLY CRYING).

This non-alien creature (Yep, you read that right. He is not from outer space.) wants to teach the class of misfits. The government agrees because that way they know where he is at most times.  He is a brilliant and caring character. 

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Grell Sutcliff, Giroro, Gowther #atozchallenge

Grell Sutcliff is an all and all freaky character.  He is a Grim Reaper and part of the Retrieval Division.  His Death Scythe is in the form of a chain saw.  Yes, I said chainsaw.  He is from the from the demon  filled, Victorian horror Anime Black Butler.

We first meet this character as a bumbling butler of Ciel (see-ell) Phantomhive's aunt, Angelina Dalles.

When Ciel and Sebastian investigate the Ripper murders, they find out that Grell isn't a human at all and in league with the aunt, who is behind the murders

He is completely off his rocker when it comes to blood and Sebastian. He makes sexually veiled comments about wanting to be with Sebastian.  He is somewhat effeminate and very flamboyant.

He is the gif playing in my theme reveal.

🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸

Giroro is the gun-toting, action-wanting, but in love with a Pekoponian girl, Corporal of Sgt. Frog.  He has a short temper when it comes to Keroro's inanity and stupidity. When he realizes he is stuck on Earth, he plants a tent in the Hinata's backyard.

When he first appears, he is very aggressive when it came to taking over the planet and of everything, but he calms as the show progresses.

The belt across his chest contains a picture of Natsumi (naht-sue-mee), which is revealed during one of the episodes.  He was defeated in combat by her during their first meeting and loves her soon after. Without the belt, he becomes a useless wreck.

😐😐😐😐😐😐

Gowther is the one of the strangest of the Seven Deadly Sins.  He is the Goat Sin of Lust, which is strange because he has no idea about emotions nor does he comprehend them. He is fun to watch as he interacts with the others.  He asks the strangest questions and is very contemplative.  He has a cruel streak at times.

We first see him disguised and wondering around with a suit of armor. Later we learn that it was his armor and he was protecting the creature inside from turning into a demon completely.

In one battle, his head was severed from his body but he still lived.  This even surprised his comrades. Only one of the Sins knows Gowther's true origins.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Fakir, Folken Fanel #atozchallenge

Fakir is one of the students of the Golden Crown Academy. He is one of the best dancers there. He is starts off as cold, possessive, and basically has a bad attitude. Duck gets the brunt of it a lot.

 He comes from the very ballet influenced Anime Princess Tutu.  The music and dancing play a huge role in this anime.

He is protective of Mythos to the point of obsession, but as he slowly learns the truth, he realizes that he needs to fix what his grandfather royally messed up.

He finds out Duck's many secrets and his heart turns toward her because of her courage and determination.

With Duck's help, he finds the strength in himself to do what has to be done despite the odds being against him and Duck.

🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲🐲

Folken Fanel is from Escaflowne Anime.  He is the older brother of the main character, Van. He appears cold and calculating, but he loves his brother.

When the their father died, Folken went on the requisite dragon hunt, but never came back.  He was thought dead or a coward by those of Fanelia (fah-nay-lee-ah).

He was found by Zaibach (zeye-bahk) forces after being left for dead by the dragon.  He awoke to a cybernetic arm courtesy of Dornkirk and his scientists. He joined them and became Dornkirk's top man.

He used every tactic to get Van to join Zaibach, but Van would not budge.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Elias Ainsworth, Ezra Scarlet, Elaine, Elizabeth #atozchallenge

Elias Ainsworth is from the Anime prequel and the anime forthcoming in October, The Ancient Magus's Bride.    He is both fae and human. He has no concept of human emotion but tries to learn from his bought-at-auction apprentice, Chise.

Chise gave herself over to being sold after the horrors of her childhood. Her self esteem was nonexistent until Elias gave her a reason to live again.

He wants her as his bride.  She wants to learn to magic.  They are both wounded individuals that find solace in each other as they learn from each other.

His past is a mystery, but there are hints in the manga that he was once a man-eater before he was found by his master.

🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙🌙

Ezra Scarlet the Anime  Fairy Tail. She is one of the most powerful wizards in the Fairy Tail Guild.  She has a tendency to be a disciplinarian while being over-the-top herself.

Her abilities include Requip, which means she has the ability to requip her armor and weaponry with a flash of magic.

Along with Natsu, Grey, and Lucy, they travel Fiore, one of the many kingdoms of Earth Land, which is the setting of Fairy Tail.

⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔⚔

We can't have an E catagory without the characters of Elaine and Elizabeth from Seven Deadly Sins.  They are both strong women.

 Elaine is the sister of Harlequin, King of fairies.  He left the Fairy King's Forest to go after his friend.  Elaine was left to protect the Forest and the Fountain of Youth from invaders and thieves.

She falls in love with Ban when he comes to take the Fountain of Youth. He too falls for her and promises to find her brother so that they could travel lands together.  But it was not meant to be. A demon comes and she sacrifices her life to save Ban by giving him the waters from the Fountain.

When the Sins visit the Capitol of the Dead, Ban finds the spirit of Elaine and reunites with her.  King, the Grizzly's Sin of Sloth, is also her brother Harlequin, who thinks Ban killed her for the Fountain. Elaine admonishes him for leaving the forest and hurting Ban.

❧❧❧

Elizabeth Liones is the kindhearted third daughter of the King of Liones.
 Although not bloodkin, she is treated as such.  When her kingdome is threatened by the Holy Knights sworn to protect it, she has no choice but to find those that can stop it.

She travels the land searching for the Seven Deadly Sins, former Holy Knights said to have committed treason by killing the leader of the Holy Knights. When she comes to the Boar Hat, she discovers that the tavern keeper is the the captain of the Sins, Meliodas.

Frankly, I don't know how she puts up with Meliodas' harrassment without slugging him in the face with a morning star, but she does.

Despite her coming across as a weak coward, she has more guts than meets the eye and more fight than many of of the 'strong' characters.

NOT A TO Z BUT I THOUGHT THAT THIS WOULD BE AN EYE OPENER!

So many of my blog readers have never seen an Anime. Well, this video will show you that anime animators have been doing some American cartoons since I was a child. I was suprised at some of them!

A Brief Video From Crunchyroll.

And another video that give a brief history of the long history of Anime.

Another Video From Crunchyroll

Hope you enjoy!

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Dororo, D #atozchallenge

Dororo (doe-roe-roe), the blue ninja pascifist alien frog, is from the comedic, insane, crazy, and wild Anime Sgt. Frog.  As a Lance Corporal in the A.R.M.P.I.T. Platoon (Advance Recon Mission Preparatory Invasion Terror), his mission was to help his commander Sgt. Keroro to invade Earth, which fails miserably.

 He was once an assassin in the Keron Army with the name of Zeroro.

He was rescued by  Koyuki Azumaya a Pekoponian (pee-ko-po-nee-an) (a.k.a. an Earthling) and accepts the ninja way of life and becomes one with nature.  His change of lifestyle has him balking at following the many of the plans that Keroro comes up to continue the highly comedic escapades of global domination.

🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎🐎

D is the enigmatic traveler of the movie Anime of Vampire Hunter D. One of the classic animes of the 80s, it has been a fan favorite for a long time.  Coming from the novels by Hideyuki Kikuchi, it is an amalgamation of dystopianish horror and science fiction. It takes place in the year 12,090 A.D.

D has a symbiotic companion on his left hand, who can operate

separately from D.  A loner by nature, D comes off as aloof and cold, but he helps people that are plagued by Nobles (vampires).

He is a dhampir, half vampire half human.  His origins are a mystery, but there are hints that he may be the son of the Sacred Ancestor or one of His experiments to halt the decline of the Nobility.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Chief, Canary #atozchallenge

Nyanta, or Chief, is one of the members of Log Horizon, which is both the name of the anime and the guild he joins.

This Anime is similar yet different to Sword Art Online in story.  The gamers of Elder Tales are trapped in the game, but instead of VR as in SAO, they are trapped in the actual world of Elder Tales.


He harbors a guild member from Akihabara (ah-key-hah-bar-ah) in the city of Susukino (sue-sue-key-no) until she can be rescued by them. When he realizes that a member of his old guild is one of the rescuers, he leaves with them.

He is older than many of the players and is of the Demi-Human race of Werecat. He is cool under pressure and is very gentlemanly.  He hates those that bully.

🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

Canary is a minor character from the Anime Hunter X Hunter (2011). She is one of the assistant butlers for the Zoldyck (Zaol-dyeck) family.  She is ultra-tough but softhearted too.

She has been known to bend rules in loyalty to Killua. When Gon refuses to leave despite being beaten half to death by her, she realizes that he is a true friend to Killua. She allows Gon to pass and is punished for it by Killua's mother.

She is an adept fighter. Her weapon is a rod that she carries with her.  Her job is to protect the assassin family from intrusions from unwelcome guests.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Ban, Merill "Benten" Yanagara #atozchallenge

Locked in the prison at Baste Dungeon,Ban  is my first character in the B category.  Ban (bahn), the Fox Sin of Greed, comes from the Anime Seven Deadly Sins. It is a fantasy genre anime that pulls in Arthurian characters, which has over-the-top action and is just a riot especially when the main male character, Melodias, is a perv.

Ban is an enigmatic character.  He fell in love with a fairy princess, Elaine, but lost her in a battle with a demon.  He can heal unscathed from most wounds, which makes him wreckless in battle nevermind who is the enemy. The scar is the only wound that never healed and was given to him by Meliodias.

He is emotional and appears laid back most of the time, but his motivations are deeper than at face value.

🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜🍜


Merill "Benten" Yanagara is from the early 90s anime Cyber City Oedo 808.  The foul-mouthed anime has a multitude of crude jokes and cursing, but the three stories are interesting despite that.

Benten, as he is called, is a multi-life sentence criminal who works for Police Chief Hasegawa as a cyber policeman to reduce his sentence. The chief controls the mini-bomb collar around Benten's neck as well as the other criminals working for him.

Effeminate looking with his albino appearce and painted nails, he is anything but a pansy. He prefers silent weapons and has great acrobatic skills. He wields a monowire in his ring that can cut through steel or flesh.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Alucard, Asuna Yūki, and Allen Schezar #atozchallenge

 As an Anime fan, I find that different characters are essential.  Also, I like different genres.  These three characters are different as night and day as well as the anime genres.

Escaflowne (es-cah-flow-nay) is from the 90s. It's about a girl from our world that gets transported to Gaea (guy-yah), a world of dragons, humanoid species, and mechas called Guymelefs (guy-mel-ef).

Allen Schezar is a gentleman with great secrets as well as a soft spot for protecting the "damsel in distress." He is also a ladies man as he sort of hits on the female main character, Hitomi.

He is one of the Knights of Caeli, an elite group of swordsmen from Asturia. His past is checkered with bitterness and death stemming from his father's fascination with the Mystic Valley and Atlantis.

💖💖💖💖💖💖


Asuna Yūki comes from the Anime Sword Art Online.  It takes place in near-future Japan where full-dive virtual reality is possible.  The game, Sword Art Online (SAO), premieres as the first VRMMORPG of its kind. 10,000 players enter the game world of Aincrad (eye,n-krad) on the first day.  Soon they discover they are trapped and that if they die in-game they die in real life.

Asuna is not a damsel. She is (excuse the cursing) a bad ass bitch with a blade.  She becomes one of the strongest players in the game and in her guild Knights of the Blood.  Her moniker is "Lightning Flash" because she wields her rapier in a swift and deadly fashion.

As the game progresses, her softer side is shown when she and Kirito form a relationship and adopt an NPC AI called Yui.

💀💀💀💀💀💀

Alucard has been one of my absolute favorite characters since I first watched Hellsing. This anime is a strange combination of Horror and Comedy. It comes in two incarnations Hellsing and the newer Hellsing Ultimate.

There is no way to describe him other than he's crazy as all eff, seriously deranged, and psychotic to boot.  He has a tendency to go overboard on his enemies in a fight.

As an ageless creature, Alucard is the ultimate vampire. He is all powerful and very bored.  His ennui leads him to turn Seras Victoria, a police woman, into a vampire.

He works for Sir Integra Fairbrook Wingates Hellsing, a woman that takes no sh*t from anyone but deals a great deal onto her enemies. She runs the Hellsing Organization, which is responsible to protect England from vampires bent on destruction.

His archenemy is the Paladin Alexander Anderson who works for Iscariot (Vatican Section XIII) a top secret section of the Vatican.  He is as insane as Alucard.

A to Z Challenge 2017 -- Theme Reveal Ooo La La!!!!

So this is where I totally tell you my theme for this year's A to Z.

Last year was fun with the spookables and ghosties.  I learned quite a bit.  Surprisingly it payed off.

 I watched Gantz 00 on Netflix on the 11th and, OMG!, Japanese yokai everywhere!  Gantz is a gory story about dead people fighting in a death match against monsters in the cities of Japan.  They can die on the field or die by not killing all the monsters in the time allotted.  It was bloody, sick, and twisted CGI movie.  It has manga and an anime to boot.

But what got me to want to do this theme is Sword Art Online: Ordinal Scale.  It is the second film in the most amazing anime, light novel,  manga, and video game series! Monsters of Aincrad have invaded the augmented reality game of Ordinal Scale.  The dangers become real when Kirito's friends  are targeted by an unknown enemy.

 I got to see it in the theater (Yay!) and it was amazing!

So now we come to it.  My theme:

My Favorite Anime Characters!

via GIPHY

That's right! I'm delving into the world of anime. From demons and devils to swordsmen and heroes, I will cover a range of genres and of species.

Warning:  There will be Spoilers  I mean it!  Spoilers everywhere! Maybe even masses amounts of them.  If you're not into finding out the secrets of the anime universe, you are henceforth warned to stay away. Perusing these posts is hazardous to your spoiler free life.

This is the only warning I will give.  Be it at your peril.  Mwhahaha!

UNDERRATED TREASURES BLOGFEST!

Today is a world of Underrated Treasures, Peeps.  Brought to us by the awesome Alex J Cavanaugh.  These are things I love despite their obscure nature.

First off is the movie Slipper and the Rose.  This movie was made in 1976 and stars Richard Chamberlain.  Yes, I mean the Richard Chamberlain of Thornbirds and Shogun fame.

It takes place in 1700s Europe in a fictional country called Euphrania.  They need a political alliance with a larger nation to survive, but the Fairy Godmother has other plans and introduces Cinderella to the prince.

The landscapes are beautiful and the costuming!  The stunning array of knee breeches, embroidered coats, waistcoats, and even the lawn shirts is only rivaled by the OH-MY-GOD-I-CAN'T-BREATHE corseted bodices and pannier skirts during the ball scene.  Also the epic powdered wigs come out to haunt us with the premature aged effect along with those great beauty patches that look like ginormo -- I don't even want to say it. Hee hee.

It follows the Charles Perault version of the story and it is a musical.  Wait!  Before you run off to the hills in terror, let me tell you it's not like Rogers and Hammerstein (although the Disney version with Brandy wasn't bad).

Plus, it deviates from the original story.  Le Gasp!  Ol' Cindie is sent away!  In actuality, that is my favorite song.  Tell Him Anything is the "Get-Him-To-Hate-Me song, sacrificing her happiness for the good of her nation.  So rather than have the prince hate his father, she wanted the blame to be put on her.

It may have the gouda, cheddar, and colby jack moments, but who wouldn't want to see old men in froufrou with bouncing curls as they sing about protocol.  Heh heh heh.

Oh Ji Ho as Song Tae-ha

I have two tv shows that are underrated. First, Korean Dramas are underrated in general because you have to have the patience to read subtitles. Only I'm not talking about Boys Over Flowers, To the Beautiful You, or Playful Kiss.  Nope.  Those are some of the most popular ones.  I'm talking about Chuno specifically.

Chuno, or Slave Hunter, is a historical drama that has everything that makes for great watching: love, death, friendship, comedy, drama, romance, betrayal, epic sword battles, loss, and some gorgeous eye candy for those of the feminine persuasion.

Its about a nobleman who becomes a slave hunter, a slave girl that becomes a noble, and a man on a mission to save a prince.  Along the way, their paths cross in a complex interwoven web.  From court intrigue, assassinations, battle sequences, beautiful music, and a Romeo and Juliet-esque back story, this show is definitely underrated.

The Ghost Hunt Crew

The second is the anime Ghost Hunt.  I know a lot of animes are super popular.  Dragonball Z, Black Butler, Hellsing Ultimate, Sailor Moon Crystal, Sword Art Online and S.A.O II are just a few.

This is a manga/anime series based on a book series written by Fuyumi Ono.  (I want to read them so bad!!)

The series is about a teenager named Mai Taniyama who finds a video camera in an abandoned school.  She ends up causing an accident where the camera breaks and a man is injured.

Naru (as she calls him) hires Mai as his assistant while Lin, the injured man, recovers and to pay for the camera she broke.  She finds out that they are using equipment and experiments to find out if the school is haunted.  Think something along the lines of Ghost Hunters.

Lo and Behold, the principal who hired Naru also hired a monk, a miko (priestess), a spirit medium, and a Catholic priest.  This motley crew make up the assemble cast of the anime.  It's kinda like one of those bar jokes.  A monk, a miko, and a Catholic priest walk into a bar . . .

It's underrated because the book series did not get fully manga-ed or animated.  So there are missing story lines and hidden secrets still unrevealed -- well, unless you google them and read all those lovely spoilers.


Lastly, I want to talk about a book called Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde. It's not your typical

dragon story.  No, this dragon doesn't eat the girl; he helps her get revenge.
DU DU DUN!!

I love this book for the characters and how they tolerate but not trust each other.  Reading how Selendrile manipulates, pokes, and prods Alys to do things. Alys, on the other hand, learns that there are many shades of grey.  Even the dragon learns a thing or two by the end of the book.

It doesn't contain the insta-love or love triangles or, in some cases, decahedrons that newer YA seems to have.  Nope.  This book has more animosity between the main characters than anything.