Gremlins Slam Dunk Atom Eve - Renegade Animation #115
In this episode, Captain Kaye and the Animation Guru discuss the Invincible Atom Eve special, Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, and The First Slam Dunk!
What’s going on, everyone? This is your Captain speaking, and we have a nice variety of topics to cover on this week’s episode! Prime Video surprised us with Invincible Atom Eve, ahead of Season 2’s premier in November. We’re also catching up with Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai, a prequel to the Gremlins movies, and The First Slam Dunk, based on the Slam Dunk manga by Takehiko Inoue. Tune into the episode to hear the full discussion!
Invincible Atom Eve
Fans of Invincible, myself included, have been patiently waiting for Season 2 for the past 2 years, and it looks like the wait is almost over. If I understand correctly, characters such as Atom Eve and Rex Splode had their own spotlight issues in the comics, so it stands to reason that the animated series would want to follow suit. I don’t know if this was necessarily my favorite episode of series upon further reflection, but Atom Eve was one of my favorite characters who didn’t seem to get enough attention in the first season. I was happy to learn more about her origin story, and was especially thrilled to hear Lance Reddick give one of his final performances voicing the main antagonist, Steven Erickson. Season 2 premiers in November, but this was a nice surprise to hold us over!
“The origin of one of Invincible’s leads results in a somber tale about connection and familial disconnect that helps fill the void before season 2.“ -The Animation Guru
Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai
Look, nothing is going to top the insanity that was Gremlins 2: The New Batch. However, if you’re looking for something geared towards a younger audience, but still retains some of the edge of those original two films, then I can comfortably recommend this. It has a gorgeous art style, a fun cast of characters, and Matthew Rhys delivers a gloriously hammy performance as the human antagonist Riley Greene. One thing this series has over the films is significantly improved Asian representation, led by its main showrunner Tze Chun.
“While aimed at a more family audience than the previous two films, the show delivers on the chaotic edge that the franchise is known for by combining it with a solid coming of age adventure.“ -The Animation Guru
The First Slam Dunk
Even if you haven’t read the manga, or watched the original Slam Dunk anime, this is still one impressive feature! The seamlessness of combining Takehiko Inoue’s character designs from the manga with 3D animation was a feast for the eyes, and made each scene on the basketball court feel electric. While Ryota Miyagi gets the most development through flashbacks, you can still feel the history between each character on the team, and understand what makes this game so important to them. This movie is a must see for both anime and sports fans.
“A thrilling sports experience that combines outstanding CGI and 2D animation to bring you into an extremely heart-pounding and methodical journey through the mind and actions of our leads that results in a victorious slam dunk!“ -The Animation Guru
That’ll do it for this episode! Thank you all for joining us! Please visit https://entertainmentcommunityfund.org/ and donate under the designation of Film and Television if you wish to support those that are effected by the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA Strikes!
